Navy plants land mines again, steps up genocidal land grab of Maathakal

வெள்ளி, 22 ஜூன், 2012

Navy plants land mines again, steps up genocidal land grab of Maathakal

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 June 2012, 17:51 GMT]

Uprooted Eezham Tamils from Maathakal West in Valikaamam North, who went to check their lands this week, have been chased away from entering the coastal village by the occupying Sinhala Navy, which still regards the area as it's so-called High Security Zone. The uprooted people, who have been periodically inspecting their houses in the border areas of the HSZ, usually escaping the scrutiny of the SL Navy, have now witnessed the SL Navy planting land mines again inside the HSZ where de-mining had been completed earlier. While the uprooted have been continuously staging protests against the genocidal land grab, the entire coastal stretch has been snatched away from the people by the colonial SL military that has fenced the beach for the construction of military cantonment, erecting houses for SL Navy.

[Satellite Image Courtesy: NASA, Visible Earth. Details & Legend: TamilNet]

Thiruvadinilai, Sangamitha statue

Buddhist Stupa at Thiruvadinilai

Some of the permanent buildings of the Sinhala cantonment in Maathakal

Permanent buildings being constructed along the coastal stretch for the occupying SL military forces. Tamil fishermen are barred from fishing in the seas along the coast and the entire stretch is separated by a fence from the land, stealing and sealing off the coast from the people of the Tamil country.

In the meantime, Thiruvadi-nilai, situated in the area, is being showcased as ‘Sacred Zone’ of the Sinhala Buddhists from the South.

At the same time, a 15 km long stretch from this ‘sacred zone’ in the direction of KKS Harbour, consisting private lands, has been illegally ‘leased’ out to a Malaysian corporate of Chinese connections to install windmills and solar panels.

On Monday, when the people of Valikaamam East staged protest at Thellippazhai braving the harassment by Colombo's military, police and its intelligence-operated squads, the uprooted people of Maathakal, went on a protest in front of the office of the SL Government Agent in Jaffna.

Some of the families, who went to see their houses, were forcefully evicted by the SL Navy. The SLN personnel also seized their tools such as mattocks, the civilians from Maathakal West, who have been uprooted from their village since 1992, told TamilNet Thursday.

“We went there after the EPDP told us to go and resettle where de-mining has been completed. But, the Navy has evicted us and has begun mining the area again,” a man in his sixties said.

The SL Navy has also put up placards warning land mines in the area in recent days.

The SLN personnel have camped at the Nu'nasai MV School.

The people, most of whom fishermen deprived of their livelihood for years, have been demanding the SLN to vacate the school and their land, and also demand access to their sea.

The entire coastal stretch along the both sides of the Vanni mainland in the island is being Sinhalicised and now the people in Jaffna are also being deprived of their coast by the genocidal Sinhala military and the establishments that directly and indirectly back Colombo's LLRC blueprint of Tamil genocide, civil society representatives in Jaffna have blamed.