Women groups protest against SL militarisation move in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 February 2012, 23:54 GMT]
The occupying Sri Lanka Army in Mannaar has been allocated a vast area of lands in Ezhuththoor GS division of Mannaar Piratheasa Chapai (PS), where uprooted families, most of them who had lost one of their parents in the war and are from Mullaiththeevu, Ki'linochchi, Vavuniyaa and Mannaar districts, have been provided lands to resettle. The families, mostly run by females, have come together and shown their objection to the move to construct SL military cantonment, obstructing the normalcy needed for the families. The resettled women have formed civil groups and urged the civil authorities at all levels to take immediate step to stop the move which would threaten the peace of life in their new village.

To facilitate the resettlement in the dry zone area, the UN aid agency UNDP had constructed a lake to preserve water for civilian use.

However, within a few months, the SL Army has been allocated lands close to the lake and in the middle of the resettlement area.

The main access route to Ezhuththoor runs towards Tharavankoaddai. The militarisation of the road, the residential area and the lake accessed for all basic requirements by the resettled families, would pose serious threats to the civilian life in the GS area, where resettled civilians still lack basic facilities such as own toilets and baths, the female groups have complained in their appeal.