Resettlers protest planned colonization of Tamil Village

[TamilNet, Friday, 13 December 2002, 17:01 GMT]
A group of Sinhalese led by a Buddhist priest, assisted by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) are constructing a Buddhist Vihare in a traditional Tamil village Vilankulam, 11 km off west of east port town on the Trincomalee-Kandy road, the East Lanka Peoples' Development Center (ELPDC) Friday said in a memorandum sent to the Minister of Hindu Cultural Affairs Mr. T.Maheswaran, sources said.

The Tamil residents of Vilankulam were displaced in 1983 and 1987 ethnic violence when the army moved in and drove them out. Since then only the army camp was present in the village.

When the displaced Tamil families were making arrangements to resettle, a group of Sinhalese led by a Buddhist priest with the support of the army personnel stationed in the area Thursday started clearing shrub jungles. A foundation was being laid to erect a Vihare as a prelude to settling Sinhalese families under the pretext of safeguarding the shrine, the memorandum stated.

The ELPDC has requested the Minister of Hindu Cultural Affairs to take immediate steps to stop the construction of the Buddhist Vihare at Vilankulam