Resettled Tamils again face displacement due to SLA camp expansion

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 September 2012, 23:05 GMT]
Resettled villagers are again forced to leave Thoa'ni-thaadda-madu village, an agricultural village situated 90 km north of Batticaloa city in Koa'ralaippattu North DS division, are again forced to flee their village following the recent expansion of the military camp of the Sri Lanka Army in the village.

Seventeen Tamil civilians including three women and six children were killed in a massacre carried out by the occupying Sri Lanka Army in 1987.

The villagers had also suffered under the occupation of the Indian IPKF forces. The Villagers who had fled during this period returned and resettled in the lands after the village was brought under the control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The entire village was displaced and fled for safety to elsewhere in 2006 following the massive air attack and multi-barrel artillery attack carried out by the Sri Lanka Army and Sri Lanka Air Force.

Since last year, the uprooted people from the village resettled with the assistance of several non-governmental organizations and have been residing under tremendous sufferings without basic facilities and amenities.

In the earlier displacement, the occupying SL military personnel had removed doors and valuable house hold goods from the abandoned houses left by villagers.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Army personnel stationed at Maangkea'ni along Trincomalee-Batticaloa A 15 highway have also appropriated lands belong to civilians for the expansion of their camp.

At the same time some top officials in the Sri Lanka Army stationed at Vaakarai camp are reported to have been ‘purchasing’ lands from Tamils at low price, sources in Batticaloa said.