Fishing by intruding colonists hampers livelihood of Tamils in Batticaloa North

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 July 2019, 21:17 GMT]
Sinhala colonists from the Trincomalee district are intruding into the territorial waters of Eezham Tamils in Vaakarai located to the north of Batticaloa (Koara'laip-pattu North division). The occupying Sinhala navy and the SL fisheries authorities are backing the illegal deployment of purse seines by the Sinhala fishermen. In the meantime, the SL military is harassing the Tamil fishers who engage in fishing using legally allowed methods, the Head of Vaakarai Fishers Society T. Baskaran told TamilNet. The SL military is also backing the former TMVP paramilitary (Pi'l'laiyaan faction) personnel to engage in the exploitative fishing activities, he further said.

The District Fisheries Office in Batticaloa has prohibited the use of purse seines. But, the SL authorities and the navy is imposing the ban only to the native villagers. The Sinhala intruders and the agents of the SL military get off scot-free, Mr Baskaran said.

Former TMVP member V. Thiraviyanathan (Jeyam), who was also a councillor in the Provincial Council in the past during the times of Pi'l'laiyaan, is involved in the exploitation, he further said.

The illegal activity is affecting the fishing environment and the livelihood of the poverty-stricken local fisherfolk in Challith-theevu, Panichchang-kea'ni and Kathirave'li.

Vaakarai region was under the de-facto Tamil Eelam administration of the LTTE before 2007. It encompasses a vast expanse of land north of Navaladi junction extending 50 km to the Verukal river.

Several small villages, Kaayaang-kea'ni, Maang-kea'ni, Panichchang-kea'ni, Vaakarai, Ka'ndal-adi, Paal-cheanai and Kathiraveli, which lie along A-15, from south to north, dot the hinterlands of Vaakarai region.

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