Colombo converts 2000 acres of ex-HSZ lands citing India-assisted airport expansion in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 August 2019, 20:05 GMT]
The SL State schemes to permanently seize 2000 acres of properties belonging to private Eezham Tamil landowners in Valikaamam North, citing the Indian-funded transformation of the so-called civilian airport in Palaali in Jaffna. Valikaamam North Divisional Councillor Shanmugalingam Shageevan, who is also the chairman of Vali-North Resettlement Committee, said the occupying SL military was converting the former ‘High-Security Zone’ lands into the so-called civilian airport lands. The ultimate aim of the SL State is retaining the areas as before during the times of war, he accused.
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SL military in Jaffna hurriedly constructs Buddhist vihara in ‘HSZ’ lands in KKS

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 July 2019, 23:33 GMT]
The occupying military of genocidal Sri Lanka is silently and hurriedly erecting a Buddhist vihara at Thaiyiddi in Kaangkeasan-thu'rai (KKS) in Jaffna. The construction is taking place inside the military-held former High-Security Zone area which has not been released back to the people. Tamil civic member Shageevan Shanmugalingam from Valikaamam North (Thellip-pazhai) Divisional Council told TamilNet on Monday that he was turned back by the SL military when he went there to see the construction. In the meantime, journalists have managed to photograph the structure from a distance, exposing the project. New Delhi talking about the ‘development’ of the KKS port and upgrading the Palaali airport without ensuring de-militarisation, is paving the way for socio-economic and cultural Sinhalicisation of the coastal stretch of Eezham Tamils in Valikaamam North, Tamil activists in Jaffna said.
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SL military releases 0.6% of occupied Valikaamam lands with big propaganda

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 April 2017, 23:14 GMT]
There are at least 7,900 private landowners, still uprooted from Valikaamam North in Jaffna division. The extent of private lands occupied by the military of genocidal Sri Lanka in Vali North stands at 4,589 acres, according to the statistics from the District Secretariat. On Friday, the new Jaffna commander of the occupying SL military, Maj. Gen. Darshana Hettiarachchi released 28.81 acres of lands in Oo'ra'ni, a coastal village in Valikaamam North in Thaiyiddi North (J/249) and a section of Mayiliddith-thu'rai North (J/251). The landowners witnessed that all their houses have been completely demolished, except a few houses that have been modified and extended into military-resorts. These houses, except one, were being fenced off. The house owners were told that it would take 8 months or 1 year to release the houses. The entire coastal stretch is also fenced off by the military.
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Occupying Colombo to expand airbase in Jaffna seizing more lands of Eezham Tamils

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 08 February 2017, 23:04 GMT]
1,650 acres of additional lands are to be permanently seized from the uprooted Tamils in Valikaam North to expand the runway of Palaali airport, which has been militarized and used by the three forces of the occupying Sinhala military. The Defence Ministry of genocidal Sri Lanka has sketched out a new plan to expand the runway of the Palaali airport. Earlier, New Delhi has been providing financial assistance to the expansion of the runway and was projecting the assistance as a move to upgrade the airport into an international airport. Later, the scope of the project was limited. The airport continues to be under the direct control of the SL military, which is now planning to proceed with further expansion, informed civil sources in Jaffna District Secretariat told TamilNet on Wednesday.
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SL military dismantles houses, destroys traces before releasing lands

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 December 2016, 20:07 GMT]
The occupying military of genocidal Sri Lanka is dismantling houses and bulldozing constructions within selected pockets of former High Security Zone lands in Valikaamam North before readying the places to be released for resettlement, uprooted Tamils from Maaviddapuram area in Jaffna told TamilNet on Thursday. The SL military is also preparing to construct another beach resort and hotel similar to the so-called Thal Sevena Army Resort at Kaang-keasan-thu'rai. The new resort is to be constructed along the coast of Mayiliddi, the sources said. Meanwhile, the Sinhala military establishment at Palaali is discouraging resettlement and is attempting to make the Tamil land-owners within the former HSZ area to purchase lands elsewhere.
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SL military deployed to rob material remains of houses in Valikaamam North ‘HSZ’ 

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 July 2016, 23:31 GMT]
The occupying Sri Lanka Army has been systematically deployed in recent days to dismantle and rob roof tiles, wooden window and door frames off of the remaining houses that are situated inside the areas, which the uprooted people have been demanding the SL authorities to release for their resettlement in Valilkaamam North in Jaffna district. Journalists in Jaffna have managed this week to photograph stolen material temporarily stored within the military fenced-off area in Kurumpasiddi along Eezhakeasari Ponniah Road. In the meantime, Tamil journalists have also photographed some of the private properties situated within the military-seized deployed for military use to be in good condition. The President of Valikaamam North Rehabilitation Society Mr A Gunabalasingam, said he has received several complaints from the people who have seen the organised robbery by the SL military.
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Maithiripala to stage another selfie session in Jaffna before next Geneva session

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 June 2016, 22:31 GMT]
Maithiripala Sirisena, the president of genocidal Sri Lanka, is scheduled to visit Jaffna on 18 June to take part in another publicity and ‘selfie’ stunt. Amidst the ‘lack’ of fresh venues to be released to the uprooted Tamils, the visiting SL President will be taking part in an event of ‘releasing’ Nadeswara College and Nadeswara Kansita Viththiyaalayam at militarized Kaangkeasan-thu'rai (KKS) for the second time this year. Mr Sirisena handed over the two schools at a PR move on 12 March. Since the initial PR move, which was also timed before a Geneva session earlier this year, the teachers and the labourers engaged in the reconstruction were being regularly harassed at the ‘Forward Defence Line’ of the SL military zone. Although education activities have been launched last Friday, the schools are still kept under military zone and civilians have not been allowed to resettle there.
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Jaffna becomes 'high security' transit hub for drug smuggling

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 29 March 2016, 21:27 GMT]
The occupying navy of genocidal Sri Lanka has transformed two sea spots adjacent to the so-called military High Security Zone in Jaffna peninsula as hubs for narcotic smuggling, according to informed fishing society sources in Jaffna. The daily narcotic trafficking through the hub is estimated to be between 8 to 12 kilograms. Most of the drugs are being smuggled from Kerala State in India. There have been competing smuggling rings and that has resulted in some arrests in recent times.
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Occupying Colombo seeks 450 Tamil deserters enlisted by SL military in North

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 December 2015, 23:36 GMT]
The occupying Sinhala military of genocidal Sri Lanka is silently deploying targeted search operations to arrest conscripted Tamils, who are absconding from their military enlistment in the Northern province. A total of 450 of 600 Tamils, recruited to SL military through deceptive methods after 2009, have escaped from the genocidal grips of the SL military in the North, informed sources told TamilNet on Monday. They were deceived with the promise of non-military civil work and good salaries, but after they signed up, they were given a basic form of ‘disciplinary’ training and showcased in parades with military uniforms against their wish. Later, they were deployed as slaves in the military-run farms inside the so-called High Security Zones (HSZ). Now, the absconding victims have become subjects for search and arrest operations by the SL military. The victims are now seeking protection.
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Colombo beefs up borders of Sinhala military colonization in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 October 2015, 00:09 GMT]
The occupying military of ‘Sri Lanka’ is once again strengthening the borderlines along the former ‘High Security Zone’ areas in Valikaamam North in Jaffna. Most of these lands were permanently seized from Eezham Tamils by the previous regime of Colombo. The SL military and the new regime in Colombo, buying time citing ‘step-by-step’ release, have been reluctant to release the illegally seized lands back to Tamil owners. When the uprooted Tamils stepped up their protests demanding the SL President Maithiripala Sirisena to officially gazette the release of the lands, the new regime openly claimed that the release of lands was a matter to be decided by the SL military. Now, after coming to terms with the USA through UNHRC discourse, Colombo is again restricting access across the borders of the former HSZ that encloses the KKS harbour, Palaali airport and the SL military base at Palaali.
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SLN occupies most of military-seized lands outside ‘HSZ’ in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 June 2015, 20:28 GMT]
Around 30 of 47 acres of lands seized together with residential houses outside the so-called High Security Zone (HSZ) in Jaffna district still remain occupied by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in Neduntheevu (Delft), Maruthangkea'ni of Vadmaraadchi East and in Thellip-pazhai, according to the latest data collected by the District Secretariat in Jaffna in February 2015. SL Police has occupied 88 houses, SLN has seized 57 properties and the occupying Sri Lanka Army (SLA) keeps 23 properties outside the ‘military zones’ in the district. The SL military has reiterated several times now that it has no plan of reducing the military deployment in the country of Eezham Tamils. The Chief Minister of Northern Provincial Council, Justice CV Wigneswaran, who has been demanding de-militarisation of North recently characterised the density of SL military occupation as one soldier per 4 civilians.
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Colombo's propaganda on releasing lands in former HSZ proves futile

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 April 2015, 21:08 GMT]
After making propaganda announcements naming entire GS divisions as to be released for resettlement in Valikaamam North and Valikaamam East, the Sri Lankan State and its occupying military, once again demonstrated on Saturday that only a small pocket was being released, that too under appalling conditions of militarisation near Chaanthai Junction in Valikaamam North. The people of Thaiyiddi and Mayiliddi who went there to see their lands had to return without gaining access to their lands. The SL military has put up fences around the pockets of lands being released to the public while maintaining the militarisation of the occupied villages with all their military installations being intact, the people of Thaiyiddi said.
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Sri Lankan police at war with Tamil journalists in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 April 2015, 22:44 GMT]
A two-member squad, dressed in civil clothes, was trying to knife three journalists in Jaffna after chasing them in a motorbike for 2 kilometres at Nalloor on Tuesday night. The journalists were returning to their offices in two motorbikes after collecting news of a hunger strike when the incident took place. The journalists managed to escape from the attackers and rushed to the Police station in Jaffna to lodge a complaint on the assassination attempt. At the police station, they saw the motorbike of the attackers parked inside the premises and the alleged attackers were a police inspector and a sergeant. The police officers at duty refused to file the complaint from the journalists. In the meantime, another reporter from Point Pedro has been remanded on Wednesday for filing a story about an attempted rape of a school girl by a police constable belonging to Nelliyadi police station.
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New regime silently steps up military land grab in North

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 March 2015, 09:01 GMT]
The occupying Sri Lankan military has again started to seize private lands outside the so-called High Security Zone (HSZ) in the North. While releasing some of the lands in the HSZ back to people in the North, the SL military is silently seizing lands outside the HSZ to maintain and expand its cantonments in the country of Eezham Tamils. Informed sources from the district secretariats of Ki'linochchi and Mullaiththeevu told TamilNet Wednesday that the military seizure of lands has been stepped up during the past 3 weeks at more than 20 localities in Vanni. Under the Rajapaksa regime, the SL officials were open about the military seizure of lands. But, now the process is almost invisible. Surveying officers are also brought from Colombo and legal notices are not issued in order to avoid public protests.
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Resettling Tamils silently expelled from Champoor in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 January 2015, 23:43 GMT]
Following the election of Maithiripala Sirisena as new Sri Lankan President, the uprooted families from a section of the 5th Division and 7th Division of Champoor situated along both the sides of Champoor main road, started to clear their lands for resettlement. Their lands, seized by Colombo under the so-called ‘Special Economic Zone’ (SEZ) were to be handed over to a Chinese-owned corporate. The occupying Sri Lanka Navy was blocking the uprooted Tamils from resettling in their lands. Despite the ‘regime change’, the Sri Lanka Navy occupying Champoor and the Sri Lankan Police have chased away the 162 families, who were clearing their plots to prepare for resettlement in the 1,430 acres of lands appropriated by Colombo under the so-called SEZ.
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Eezham Tamils in Canada evolve common position on Tamil activism

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 April 2014, 21:31 GMT]
In a move interpreted as a sharp response to Sri Lanka's war on Tamil diaspora, more than 80 Tamil community organizations from across Canada have come together in an initiative to create a consensus outlining their collective position and guiding principles on Tamil struggle-centric engagement. The Tamil Assembly rejected the proscription of 16 Tamil diaspora organizations along with 424 individuals by the Government of Sri Lanka and said: The ongoing genocide of the Tamil nation is aided and abetted by institutions, governments, and bodies outside the purview of the Sri Lankan state structure, making them complicit in the ongoing genocide. These external actors have a responsibility to halt the ongoing genocide of the Tamil nation and guarantee the collective rights of the Tamils, the document said.
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Colombo simulates ‘clustered camp’ for uprooted people of Valikaamam East

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 November 2013, 23:27 GMT]
Colombo deployed its officials on Friday to showcase a ‘clustered camp’ project in Valikaamam East in Jaffna, promising ‘settlement’ to a few hundred uprooted Tamils in a deceptive move of moving a few hundred uprooted people from their camps outside the former ‘High Security Zone’ into the clustered camp environment in former grazing lands at Idaik-kaadu and Antony-puram near Palaali in Valikaamam East. Around 150 uprooted people from different camps were taken with journalists from South to showcase the ‘settlement’, a smokescreen move by SL military just ahead of Sri Lanka CHOGM to be held this month. More than 51,000 uprooted people from Valikaamam, which was occupied and declared as HSZ by the SL military, are continuously languishing in more than 10 so-called welfare camps and elsewhere in Jaffna peninsula since 1990.
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UXO claims life of 30-year-old man in Jaffna, 2 boys wounded

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 24 September 2013, 23:48 GMT]
A 30-year-old man was killed and two 17-year-old boys were seriously wounded on Tuesday around 10:30 a.m., at former Forward Defence Line in Mukamaalai in Jaffna. Mr Suthaharan Atputharasa, who was driving the tractor, was killed on the spot. The tragic blast comes after the UN office for humanitarian de-mining coordination in Jaffna has been closed down and the remaining humanitarian agencies involved in de-mining are under pressure to wind up their activities before the end of this year. The occupying SL military, which is converting the former High Security Zones (HSZ) into Sinhala Military Zones (SMZ), is in control of the entire process of de-mining.
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TNA candidate Ananthi narrowly escapes attack in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 September 2013, 10:21 GMT]
The only woman candidate of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Jaffna district in the forthcoming provincial council elections, Ms Ananthi Sasitharan, narrowly escaped from an attack by alleged Sri Lankan military operatives, who followed her van in a motorbike and a military-like vehicle on KKS Road from Chunnaakam to Ainthu-chanthi, a five-road junction in the suburb of Jaffna on Tuesday. The alleged military operatives got off at the junction and threw a large stone targeting Ms Ananthi, but she ducked as her driver took a turn away from the attackers. The attack comes on the same day as Navi Pillay at Geneva expressed concern for the protection of human rights defenders, journalists and communities she met during her visit from any reprisal, intimidation or attack. Meanwhile, the TNA has demanded confinement of the occupying SL military before the elections.
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Colombo plans Sinhala military settlement in Valikaamam North

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 May 2013, 23:51 GMT]
While the uprooted Eezham Tamils of Valikaamam North confront the occupying Sri Lankan State against the seizure of their lands in the former ‘High Security Zone’ (HSZ), the Sri Lankan military is moving fast with its secret plans of establishing permanent Sinhala military settlements to bring in families of the Sinhala soldiers into the former HSZ in Jaffna. Informed paramilitary sources in Jaffna told TamilNet Tuesday that a Sri Lankan commander has been assigned the task of converting the former HSZ into a Sinhala Military Zone (SMZ), consisting of Palaali military base. Already, more than 5,000 houses have been constructed in Mu'rika'ndi in Vanni and families of Sinhala soldiers are being provided housing there. There are at least 30,000 Sinhala soldiers stationed in the Jaffna peninsula.
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