SL Navy groomed by Washington destroys Tamils’ houses as US naval ship docks at Trinco port

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 October 2017, 23:44 GMT]
The occupying Sinhala navy of genocidal Sri Lanka was destroying the houses of uprooted Eezham Tamils in Champoor, Trincomalee, to obtain concrete material to fortify its newly-built administrative headquarters for the training of the ‘Marine Battalion’ of the SL Navy. On Sunday, the resettled Tamils in Champoor had to confront the Sinhala navy sailors to block them from dismantling the walls of a Tsunami settlement with 75 houses, which has already been plundered of the roofs and doors by the occupying SL military. The SL Navy has managed to rob three tractor loads of concrete material before the people mobilised against the move, residents in Champoor told TamilNet on Monday as US Navy Ship Lewis and Clark arrived at Trincomalee port to take part in what the SL Navy was claiming as first of its kind joint training taking place between the SL and US Navies in the island.
Full story >>

Western, Indian housing schemes used as trump card to weaken uprooted people’s struggle

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 October 2017, 23:29 GMT]
The poverty-stricken uprooted Tamils from Valikaamam North in Jaffna, residing in more than 34 so-called welfare camps for three decades, are now being lured into buying alternative lands outside their military-occupied villages. Administrative officials deployed by occupying Colombo are giving an ultimatum that if the familes were to ‘qualify’ for housing schemes funded by India, Norway, Switzerland and the EU, they should buy lands elsewhere without delay. The housing schemes would disappear if the beneficiaries were to wait for their original lands to be released by the SL military, the families are being told. The western countries and India, that intentionally avoided demanding de-militarisation of the North-East in the post-war human rights discourse staged in Geneva, seem to be interested in grooming the hostile Sinhala military along the coast of Eezham Tamils in the North-East.
Full story >>

Champoor Tamils’ security, livelihood threatened by US military partnership with genocidal Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 September 2017, 22:14 GMT]
The occupying navy of genocidal Sri Lanka has put up 25 new coastal sentry posts, 75 meters at distance from each other along the coast of Champoor in Trincomalee. The naval build up taking place since August 2017 has raised security concerns among the native Eezham Tamil fishermen, who are also caught up in anxiety over fishing restrictions occurring again. The fortification has also come amidst increased reports of surveillance and harassment on resettled Champoor Tamils in the recent times. The military installations in Champoor were being beefed up as foreign trainers, particularly those from the Seventh Fleet of the US Navy based in Japan and South-Korea, use to visit Trincomalee to train the marine corps of genocidal Sri Lanka, informed sources in the East port city said.
Full story >>

NPC should monitor relocation of SL military buildings: Uprooted Keappaa-pulavu people

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 August 2017, 23:34 GMT]
SL Minister of ‘Resettlement’ D.M. Swaminathan has provided 148 million rupees to the occupying Sinhala military in Keappaa-pulavu without securing any guarantee of freeing the lands that are being actually demanded by the uprooted people of Keappaa-pulavu. The SL minister transferred 50 million rupees also in the past. He claims that the money was intended to enable SL military to find alternative locations for itself and release the lands of people. However, as evidenced last time, the occupying military didn’t relocate itself. Instead, it only released forested lands located elsewhere from the coast of Nanthik-kadal. At the same time, the people have no means of livelihood if they are not allowed to resettle along the fishing coast and in the fertile lands situated close to the lagoon.
Full story >>

Occupying Colombo’s reluctance to re-issue land documents to Champoor Tamils questioned

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 August 2017, 20:16 GMT]
Two years have elapsed since 818 acres of lands were released by Maithiripala Sirisena’s regime back to the uprooted of people of Champoor. However, the resettled people have not received documents confirming their ownership to lands to date. At the same time, more and more lands are being grabbed by the occupying Sri Lanka Navy as the time goes on, complain uprooted Tamils, who have been subjected to strict surveillance by the Intelligence wings of the occupying military of genocidal Sri Lanka. The Electricity Board of ‘Sri Lanka’ is also seizing lands in addition to the SL Navy. The representatives of three Rural Development Societies (RDS) in Moothoor Division have jointly categorized 4 major land-related issues in Champoor, according to Mr S. Shanmuganthan, who is the chairman of Champoor East RDS.
Full story >>

Occupying Colombo harasses resettled Tamils through 3 Intelligence squads in Champoor

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 09 August 2017, 22:33 GMT]
Deploying Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil Intelligence personnel belonging to SL Police, SL Army and SL Navy, occupying Colombo has increased its harassment of resettled Eezham Tamils at Champoor in Trincomalee in recent days. Each and every move by the people to democratically voice for their needs is also being confronted through Intelligence meddling, rights activists in Champoor told TamilNet on Wednesday. Genocidal Sri Lanka is attempting to deconstruct the social institutions and the remaining ability of the people to mobilize themselves, the activists said. “During the time of Rajapaksa rule, we were living constantly under the gunpoint in various welfare camps. But we knew who they were. But, now they come from different places with pistols inside their clothes. They converse in a harassing manner and we live under a constant military surveillance,” a grassroots activist commented.
Full story >>

New Sinhala police station disturbs peace in resettled Vadamunai, Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 August 2017, 22:25 GMT]
Some normalcy returned to Vadamunai village situated 65 km northwest of Batticaloa city two years ago when the occupying Sinhala military vacated its military camp, which was situated at a building of the Irrigation Department, which was located on the left bank of Vadamunai tank. Resettled Tamil women were continuously harassed by the Sinhala soldiers stationed at the irrigation building whenever the women went to the tank for water and bathing needs. A few days ago, a Sinhala policemen have stationed at the locality, causing trauma and fear among the resettled villagers. The Tamil people living in the interior village of Batticaloa district, is a border village to Polonnaruwa district of North Central Province. The survivors from Vadamunai village, who witnessed one of the brutal massacres, Mayilanthanai massacre in 1992, only managed to resettled back during the times of the LTTE.
Full story >>

West funds SL military by channeling funds through UN and SL Ministry

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 July 2017, 19:17 GMT]
The so-called SL Minister of Resettlement, D.M. Swaminathan has become a money transfer agent between the occupying military of genocidal Sri Lanka and the Western donor states backing the unitary State based in Colombo, commented Tamil activists in Mullaiththeevu after meeting a delegation of protesting people from Keappaa-pulavu, who met the SL minister on Wednesday. The SL Minister, in his meeting with the representatives of the protesting people, has revealed that the SL military was demanding 148 million rupees in order to release 110 acres of their lands in the ‘next phase’. The so-called international community seems to pay money to its Lascarine military. Tamil diaspora activists should scrutinise the funds being channelled to the UN system and the NGOs operating in Colombo, they said.
Full story >>

"Mini-battles" staged in occupied Tamil country causing anxiety among civilians

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 July 2017, 20:57 GMT]
The occupying Sinhala military has deployed military training inside in Valikaamam East and Valikaamam North during the past 3 days, especially near Vazhalaay in Valikaamam East where uprooted people were settled in military constructed houses. This is the first time large-scale coordinated field training with gunfire and RPG fire has been witnessed in the area since the regime change, the resettled families said. Similar gunfire and explosions were also heard in Valikaamam North causing anxiety among the resettled people, news sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Pulak-kudiyiruppu experience: Resettlement without de-militarisation is nightmare

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 July 2017, 23:36 GMT]
Due to utter ignorance by the civil administration of the SL State, the ITAK sitting in the opposition and collaborating with the occupying Colombo, international backers of genocidal ‘Sri Lanka’ and the agenda-driven Colombo-based NGO community, which only opens its purses where manipulation, deception and hijack is needed for their foreign ‘development’ and ‘environment’ masters, the 54 Tamil families of Pulak-kudiyiruppu, who managed to secure the release of 48 acres of their lands on 01st of March, still languish without proper security to their school-going children under the continued militarisation of Keappaa-pulavu. In a video interview to TamilNet this week, the families that continue to hold on to their village, narrated their destitute situation and the negligence they have been facing so far.
Full story >>

Nullified ownership of lands not revoked by Colombo: resettled Champoor Tamils

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 June 2017, 23:40 GMT]
Occupying Colombo has once again proved its systematic violation of traditional land ownership rights of Eezham Tamils to their private lands in Champoor, complain representatives of Vinaayakar Community Centre (Chana-chamooka-nilaiyam) from Champoor in Moothoor East of Trincomalee district. The families in Champoor had residential and agricultural lands as combined tracts of lands that measured from 0.5 acre to 2 acres per family before they were uprooted from their village in September 2006. Now, the occupying Colombo wants to limit their ownership rights to just 20 perches per family, the representatives of Vinaayakar Community Centre told TamilNet on Friday.
Full story >>

Resettled Tamils complain increased harassments by SL military at Kudumpi-malai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 May 2017, 22:09 GMT]
The deployment of Sinhala military belonging to 232 Brigade Headquarters of the occupying Sinhala military at Kudumpi-malai (which is also known as Thoppik-kal and Baron’s Cap) in the interior of the northwestern hinterland of Batticaloa is not only a demographic and structural threat, but also a cultural threat, complain Tamil villagers. More than 500 Eezham Tamil families were living there during the times of the LTTE. Only 120 families have managed to resettle there amidst the deprived infrastructure and basic facilities to them. Their temples are still under SL military occupation. Tamil Heroes Cemetery, which was the largest one in the district, has been fully bulldozed and a Sinhala military base is built there. Monuments of SL military’s genocidal victory are showcased to the Sinhala visitors, who are promoted to tour the area as visitors to ‘Thoppigala Heritage Park’.
Full story >>

SL Forest Department schemes seizure of lands released by occupying military in Champoor

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 May 2017, 16:04 GMT]
The Forest Department of genocidal Sri Lanka is pushing ahead its plan of grabbing 50 acres of agricultural lands used by resettled Eezham Tamils in Champoor in Moothoor East. The SL Forest Department targets more than 50 acres of upper-lying agricultural lands that are located 2 km east of Kaa’li-amman temple. The resettled people, who have cleared the lands for cultivating cassava, peanuts, maize, chili pepper and tomato and made arrangements to channel water from a small tank in the area, complain that the SL Forest Department officials visited the area claiming that the area comes under their domain.
Full story >>

Genocidal Colombo schemes fresh Sinhala military colony in Champoor

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 May 2017, 19:41 GMT]
After a prolonged period of discrimination against the resettled Eezham Tamils in Champoor and keeping the resettled people under military conditions, the occupying SL Navy in Champoor has now started to scheme a Sinhala colony for 145 families of the occupying SL Naval training base named Vidura (SLNS Vidura). The Sinhala colonial Governor to the Eastern Province, Kalupage Austin Fernando, a former Defence Secretary of the occupying Sri Lankan military and Sinhala Government Agent of Trincomalee District, N.A.A. Pushpakumara, another Sinhala official of Colombo have made the necessary arrangements. Initial work has already started for the construction of houses. A hospital and a Sinhala school are also included in the plan, informed Tamil-speaking sources in Trincomalee told TamilNet this week.
Full story >>

Countries backing Colombo in UNHRC complicit in genocide against Eezham Tamils: Ravikaran

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 April 2017, 23:05 GMT]
“The countries that promoted SL State with giving more time and space at Geneva are complicit in the structural genocide against Eezham Tamils. You are all joining hands in destroying us. Tamils will be completely losing the coast of Mullaiththeevu within two years. The IC should not delay any further in bringing international justice,” said elected councillor from Mullaiththeevu Thurairasa Ravikaran in an interview to TamilNet this week. Each and every Tamil now miss their security and dignity which was there during the times of the Liberation Tigers, he further said. An old mother who was chased away from Kokku’laay in 1984 and resettled back in Kokku’laay after being exiled in Tamil Nadu, India, narrated how the uprooted Tamils are languishing in Kokku’laay and Naayaa’ru. A senior fishermen leader explained how Tamils lived in Kokku’laay for decades without Sinhala intrusion.
Full story >>

Colombo's ‘resettlement’ assistance traps Champoor Tamils into private mortgage

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 April 2017, 23:33 GMT]
Many families among the resettled Tamils in Champoor are now trapped into taking huge loans in order to complete housing to qualify ‘resettlement’ assistant from the genocidal State of Sri Lanka, right activists in Trincomalee say. The Divisional Secretary of Moothoor Division, who is tasked with the delivery of so-called resettlement assistance from the SL Ministry of Resettlement, has been repeatedly telling the ‘beneficiaries’ from Champoor to take up loans and complete the construction of houses on their own in order to receive monetary assistance through the SL government programme. Trusting the promises, several families have taken up private loans with high interest rates. Some of them have even handed over their land deeds to external agents as security for their loans. They are facing the risk of losing their lands.
Full story >>

62 families in Champoor demand lands back from abandoned coal power plant

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 March 2017, 22:14 GMT]
The lands seized for the construction of drainage canals from the now abandoned coal power plant scheme in Champoor have not been released back to the land owners from Champoor and Kadatkaraich-cheanai, rights activists in Champoor complain. 27 families from Champoor and 35 families from Kadatkarai-cheanai are planning to launch a protest demanding their lands back, they said. The affected land-owners have also been sidelined in the provision of housing schemes so far. Colombo is reluctant to release these lands with a hidden motive of transferring the lands to some other purpose, the activists said.
Full story >>

SL Military Intelligence wages shadow war against Champoor people

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 March 2017, 23:13 GMT]
The intelligence wing of the occupying Sri Lanka Army in Moothoor East has been threatening the leaders of various social and justice organisations in an attempt to dismantle the entire social fabric that prevails among the resettled people of Champoor. There have been several reports of strict military surveillance on everything that moves in and out of Champoor and Tamil activists being forced to work as surveillance operatives. But, the latest move aims at dismantling the grassroots from sustaining their social fabric. The mediation board (I’nakka-chapai), Rural Development Society, Womens’ Development Society and the local justice systems that facilitate and mediate in disputes between the individuals in the society are facing serious threats from the SL military intelligence in recent days.
Full story >>

British-recognised occupying SL military attempts rape in Ki'linochchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 March 2017, 23:36 GMT]
A soldier of the occupying Sinhala military under the command of Major General Ajith Karyakarawana on Friday evening attempted to rape a 56-year-old Tamil woman at Santha-puram, located near Ira'nai-madu, where the occupying military of genocidal Sri Lanka is maintaining its so-called Security Forces Head Quarters for Ki'linochchi with at least three divisions of Sinhala military and SL Air Force. The rape attempt comes a few days after Ms Laura Davies, the Deputy British High Commissioner in Colombo and Captain Stuart Andrew Borland, the British Defence Attaché in Colombo, were according diplomatic and military recognition to the occupying Sinhala military in the Tamil homeland by paying a visit and receiving a memento from Maj Gen Ajith Karayakarawana, the commander of the controversial military base that has been operating against the Eezham Tamils in Vanni.
Full story >>

SL military threat against civil organisations reaches serious level in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 February 2017, 22:47 GMT]
The occupying Sinhala military was directly controlling the civil rights of the Eezham Tamils under the previous regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa. But, the SL military under the joint regime of Maithiripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickramasinghe, has chosen much worse forms of controlling the underlying social fabric of Eezham Tamils in the Eastern Province, complain Tamil activists from Rural Development Society (RDS) organisations and women’s rural organisations in Batticaloa district in the East. SL military intelligence, which has gathered details of RDS activists and the details of their families, has been exerting pressure on the activists to operate as its informants. All the RDS organisations in the 14 divisions of Batticaloa district are facing the same threat and harassment from the SL military.
Full story >>