ஞாயிறு, 31 டிசம்பர், 2017

நடைமுறைப் புத்தாண்டில் நனிசிறந்து வாழியவே! – இலக்குவனார் திருவள்ளுவன்


எல்லா நாளும் ஒரு நாளே!
இன்பமும் துன்பமும் வரு நாளே!
இன்பம் வந்தால் மயங்கா தீர்!
துன்பம் கண்டால் துவளா தீர்!
பிறர் துன்பம் நீங்க உதவிடு வீர்!
அவர்இன்பம் காண முயன்றிடு வீர்!
மொழிச் சிதைப்பரை ஒதுக்கிடு வீர்!
இனக்கொலைஞரை ஒழித்திடு வீர்!
சாதிக் கொலைகள் இல்லாத
சமயச் சண்டை மறைந்திட்ட
ஏழ்மை எங்கும் காணாத
நன்னாள்தானே எந்நாளும்!
நாளும் மாறும் நாளில் இல்லை,
உயர்வும் புகழும் வாழும் முறையும்!
அல்லன நீக்கி நல்லன எண்ணில்
ஒவ்வொரு நாளும் புது நாளே!
இலக்குவனார் திருவள்ளுவன்

Villagers marred by SL Police brutality for 5 months at Thunnalai in Jaffna


Villagers marred by SL Police brutality for 5 months at Thunnalai in Jaffna


The police terror, prevailing continuously for five months at Thunnaalai village of Vadamaraadchi South-West in Jaffna, has gone to the extent of torture victims suffering coma. Apart from the Northern Provincial Council, no one has questioned the brutal conduct of the SL Police. The poverty-stricken people of Thunnaalai, which is located 3 km off Nelliyadi, have been living under constant trauma for five months since 09 July 2017, when a 24-year-old youth was shot and killed while he was escaping a police hunt after illegal sand scooping in Kudaththanai. The villagers spontaneously agitated against the police crime. A police post was smashed and the people stoned the house of a notorious Tamil police officer. In turn, the SL Police has meted out a prolonged collective punishment targeting more than 40 individuals with repeated arrests, torture and various other harassments. 

The people interpreted the killing of the youth, Yogarajah Thinesh, as a planned encounter in which the SL police wanted to make an example by killing a Tamil sand scooper. 

The Sinhala military and Police are also involved in the exploitative illegal sand scooping, the villagers say. 

The SL Police responded with more violence, systematic cordon and arrests and interrogations in a ‘counter-insurgency’ fashion deploying notorious Sinhala ‘Special Task Force’ commandos. 

Those identified as taking part in the spontaneous violent response have been subjected to brutal torture. 

Those who were arrested, ‘punished’ and released from the detention have been kept under continuous surveillance. Apart from repeated arrests, torture and various other harassments, they have also been barred from taking jobs outside their village. 

The STF is treating the targeted Tamil villagers as former LTTE members. 

Most of the families are dependent on daily wage earnings and they cannot afford to pay for lawyers every time their family members get arrested. 

The affected victims complain that they are now forced to consider disappearing from their village as the harassment has become systematic, sophisticated and widespread. 

The SL Judiciary, particularly the Point Pedro court, is also discriminating the victims according to the whims and fancies of the SL police in Nelliyadi, the villagers complain. 

The lawyers charge large sums and the politicians have all ignored their plight, the affected victims complain.




Chronology:

Uprooted people of Keappa-pulavu vow to continue their protest until all lands area released

Uprooted people of Keappa-pulavu vow to continue their protest until all lands area released


The uprooted Tamil families from Keappaa-pulavu, who have been staging a continuous protest for the past 302 days demanding release of their occupied lands and de-militarisation of their village located in Mullaiththeevu district, on Thursday vowed to continue their struggle until all their lands are released by the occupying Sinhala military. The announcement comes despite the occupying SL State and its military releasing a pocket of 111 acres of lands with properties belonging to 28 families in Keappaa-pulavu and another pocket of 28 acres that belong to 17 families in the nearby Seeniyaa-moaddai. 

The release of 133 acres of lands comes amidst the continuous protest and the SL Ministry of Resettlement paying 148 million rupees of foreign aid to the SL military to relocate away from the occupied property. 

None of the money was used to construct necessary infrastructure to the resettling people. 

The SL military continuous to occupy the vast area of agricultural lands including the coast of the Nanthik-kadal lagoon. 

All the lands and properties being released in the two pockets are residential lands, the people said. 

Several hundreds of acres of lands, both public and private, remain occupied by the SL military, which has also put up a resort and a Buddhist temple inside the occupied military zone in Keappaa-pulavu. 

One of the main demands of the uprooted Tamils is de-militarisation of Keappaa-pulavu. 

Only when the SL military is relocated from the residential and agricultural lands as well as civilian access to the coast and the lagoon is restored, resettlement of people in Keappaa-pulavu would be meaningful, rights activists in Mullaiththeevu said. 

138 families have been engaged in the continuous protest demanding 432 acres of their private lands and public properties such as schools, temple, church and a public hall.




Chronology:


Tamils mobilise against Colombo's move to exploit coastal belt of Thirukkoayil


Tamils mobilise against Colombo's move to exploit coastal belt of Thirukkoayil


Around 3,000 Tamil people from Thirukkoayil division of Ampaa'rai district on Wednesday took to the streets and marched against the move by the occupying unitary State in Colombo to exploit the mineral resources of 20 km long coast of Thirukkoayil. The move by occupying Colombo, dubbed as development, is nothing but sand mining which is detrimental to the coast of Eezham Tamils, the villagers said. A private company, Damsila Exports Pvt Ltd from South, is also involved in the move, the agitating villagers said. 

The protesters blamed the Divisional Secretariat for granting permission to proceed with the exploitation. 

But, the Divisional Secretary told the protesters that his office only had advisory role as the coastal strip in question fell under the domain of the Coast Conservation Department (CCD), which comes under the unitary State system. 

Damsila Exports is a leading exporter of phlogopite mica and other minerals from the island to external markets. 

Villagers from Thampaddai and Thampiluvil gathered at Aathavan playgrounds, people from Thirukkoayil mobilised in front of Thirukkoayil clocktower and Vinaayaka-puram villagers got together at the bus stop in their village. The protesters marched from these three localities towards Thirukkoayil clocktower amidst pouring rains. 

The protesters handed over their appeals addressed to political leaders and the authorities to Tamil National Alliance MP K. Kodeeswaran and to the Divisional Secretary of Thirukkoayil S. Jegarajan. 

Mr Jegarajan told protesters that he would be forwarding their appeal to Cost Conservation Department, which is the authority over the area in question as it falls within the 200 meters of the coastal line. 

The protesters told TamilNet that the local community has not been consulted at all in the move. 

Based on the experience from Pulmoaddai in Trincomalee, both by Tamils and Muslims, the trend is destructive as the soil and ecosystem of their coast would be affected as well as their livelihood in addition to the fear of Sinhalicisation coming in the form of a settlement of Sinhala workers from outside.

The plan, initiated during the regime of Rajapaksa, is now being stepped up, the protesters further said.




Related Articles:

Colombo has nothing else than deception, where is last remedy, ask families of enforced disappeared

Colombo has nothing else than deception, where is last remedy, ask families of enforced disappeared



The entire Colombo state system and the SL President Maithiripala Sirisena, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the occupying military, have only come up with deceptions instead of doing anything meaningful to trace the whereabouts of those subjected to enforced disappearances at the hands of the SL military and its paramilitaries. At this juncture, what is the last remedy and from where we should seek answers, asks Mrs Amalaraj Amalanayaki, one of around 4,000 families from Batticaloa district searching for their loved ones. In its latest deception, the Colombo establishment has deployed ‘Economic Development Officers’ with ‘English Only’ forms, in which the people are asked to put their signatures leaving the remaining work to the EDO officials, she said referring to a data-collection that has been issued by the so-called Office of the Missing Persons (OMP). 



Mrs Amalraj was one of the representatives of enforced disappeared in the district, who met SL President Maithiripala Sirisena three times this year. 



In a recent interview to TamilNet, the victim-turned-activist, narrated how the latest deception from the OMP was unfolding in the district. 




The occupying Colombo has deployed Economic Development Officers (EDO) to fill out a form prepared by the OMP. 



The form is in English language, which the majority of victims do not understand. The EDO officials ask the families of the enforced disappeared to just place their signatures in the empty forms promising that they would be filling out the forms. The forms are intended to deceive the families to opt for death certificates or ‘missing status’ certificates in turn of becoming eligible for assistance through the EDOs, the activist says. 



Already, a large number of victims have been deceived into receiving death certificates through various other mechanisms. The people also had no other means than opting for death certificates to be eligible for assistance, transfer of property or to receive insurance payments. 



Although it is claimed that those who had received death certificate could also trace whereabouts of their kith and kin if they had opted for such certificates for practical purposes in the past. But, the latest OMP-prepared forms exclude those who had obtained such certificates in the past, Amalanayaki says. 



This is an attempt to reduce the number of enforced disappeared to below the count of 500 in the district, she says. In total, there are at least 4,000 enforced disappeared in the district, she says. 



Colombo is deploying all its avenues to reduce the figures in the statistics of enforced disappeared, Amalanayaki further says. 



“From the SL President to all Tamil political parties, politicians act alike. They have been attempting to exploit we who are organized,” she says. 



The politicians were trying to exploit the organized women to take part in the local elections and were offering seats for them. 



The families of enforced disappeared are only demanding answers on the whereabouts of their loved ones and will not succumb to the electoral politics or the tactics of votes-seeking politicians, she said asked what role did the Tamil politicians play in strengthening their struggle. 



Amalanayaki’s husband was abducted by the so-called Special Task Force (STF). 



When she made her initial complaint on the abduction of her husband to the SL Police, it was in Sinhala which was not understood by her. She was asked to sign the complaint which was registered in Sinhala. 



Later, when she got the complaint translated into Tamil later for legal use, it turned out for her that the name of the accused, the STF, was entirely omitted in the complaint registered in Sinhala and that the complaint was not useful as she had expected. 



Amalanayaki also remembers that the SL police asking how did she dare to accuse the STF for the disappearance of her husband. 



This is the attitude prevailing, from the occupying Sinhala Police to SL President in the island. 



Mr Maithiripala has also gone openly declaring that he would not allow any investigation against his armed forces, the activist said. 



The STF, formed during the times of late SL President J.R. Jayawardene and trained by the British, is a full-fledged military outfit organised under the SL Police Department targeting the occupied country of Eezham Tamils. It functions as an extended arm of the SL military receiving instructions from the SL Defence Ministry in Colombo. 



The STF was directly engaged in brutal acts of genocide in the East as well as in Vanni during the war. 



The British government should be one of the first countries for victims like Amalanayaki to direct their questions on answerability, complicity and last remedy, commented Tamil human rights activists in Batticaloa.





Chronology:

27-ஆம் ஆண்டு திருமந்திர முற்றோதல் விழா, ஆதம்பாக்கம்


 மார்கழி 17, 2048  திங்கட்கிழமை 01-01-2018 

காலை 8.30 முதல் இரவு 9.00 மணி வரை
 வி.எம்.அரங்கம் 8/இ,2 ஆவது தெரு. வி.வி.குடியிருப்பு,
ஆதம்பாக்கம் சென்னை 600 088
27-ம் ஆண்டு திருமந்திர முற்றோதல் விழா
நிகழ்ச்சி நிரல்: 
  1. 6–ஆம் தந்திர முற்றோதல்
  2. திருமுறை விண்ணப்பம்,
  3. தமிழ்நாட்காட்டி வெளியீடு,
  4. திருமந்திர வினா விடை அரங்கம்
  5. திருமுறை இசைஅரங்கம்
  6. விருதரங்கம்
  7. பொருட்டமிழ் வேதப்பீடும் பெருமையும்

சனி, 30 டிசம்பர், 2017

Sinhalicisation targets interior hill-top northwest of Batticaloa

Sinhalicisation targets interior hill-top northwest of Batticaloa


The 232 Brigade of the occupying Sinhala Army having its main base at Kudumpi-malai (which is also known as Thoppik-kal and Baron’s Cap) area in the interior of the northwestern hinterland of Batticaloa, is Sinhalicising the area by bringing in Sinhala fishermen to engage in fresh-water fishing at Meeraa'nda-ku'lam and by promoting ‘tourists’ from South to engage in leisure activities in the area, Kudumpi-malai villagers complain. Tamil villagers are barred from accessing their reservoir. The SLA has put up tents and created a camping area where the Sinhala fishermen are staying. When asked about those residing in the camping site, Sinhala soldiers use to refer to the visitors as their relatives or as tourists from South. But, some of the intruders seem to be fishermen who are having a business relationship with the occupying military, the people say. 

In the meantime, the ‘Tourism’ ministry of occupying Colombo has outsourced a scheme of promoting Sinhala cultural and leisure-oriented tourism in the hands of the occupying military. 

The 232 Brigade soldiers are also occupying the temple located on top of the hill to store military hardware and are blocking the Saiva Tamil devotees from utilising the temple building for religious purpose, the villagers further complained. The SLA soldiers have also dismantled the door of the temple building. Tamil devotees should seek permission in advance if they are to access the temple. Such permission is given only on special religious occasions. The devotees have to accompany Sinhala soldiers. The 232 Brigade has placed a communication equipment with antenna at the hill-top. 

The SLA has also constructed a small structure and framed a photo of Buddha on the top of the hill at the temple of God Murukan. 

The devotees are also complaining that the SL military presence at the foothills of Kudumpi-malai was causing inconveniences to religious prayers at the temple for Paththini deity. 

Kudumpi-malai is located 54 km north of Batticaloa city in the administrative division of Ko'ra'laip-pattu South (Kiraan). 


Location of Kudumpimalai
The location of Kudumpimalai (Barren's Cap) from Batticaloa and Vaazhaich-cheanai




* * *




Mahaweli, System L and B
‘Mahaweli Master plan’ currently targeting Mullaiththeevu, Batticaloa and Ampaa'rai through System L and System B [Image courtesy:mahaweli.gov.lk]
Mahaweli System B
System B of Mahaweli scheme targets to Sinhalicise and colonise the agricultural and grazelands of Eezham Tamils in Batticaloa. The area being subjected to occupation was safeguarded by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) till 2007 and is known as Paduvaan-karai
Mahaweli System B
Detailed Map of 'System B' [Map courtesy: SL Mahaweli Authority]

Meanwhile, the SL ministry of so-called Mahaweli development is targeting the Tamil hinterland for Sinhala colonisation, particularly the villages, jungles and pastureland located along the border between Batticaloa and Polonnaruwa districts. 

The System B of ‘Mahaweli’ seeks to divert the waters to Sinhala farmers in Welikanda and Dimbulagala D.S divisions in the Polonnaruwa district, which is the home electorate of SL President Maithiripala Sirisena. 

Hailing from the neighbouring Polonnaruwa district, Mr Sirisena has been implementing a long-term Sinhalicisiation agenda within the so-called System B under the pretext of ‘development’. 

System B is the largest of Mahaweli ‘Development’ programme. It consists of 75,441 ha., including 27,179 ha of irrigable lands in Polonnaruwa and Batticaloa districts. 

One of the three main sources of livelihood of Tamils in Batticaloa is cattle and dairy farming. 

While 320 Tamil dairy farmers from the two divisions of Ea'raavoor-pattu (Chengkaladi) and Koa'ra'laippattu South (Kiraan) are already struggling without adequate pasturelands for their cattle. 

But, towards the end of 2017, the SL Mahaweli ministry has silently moved to implement a new programme of distributing lands to Sinhala colonists, 49 acres per settler family, through a long-term leasing scheme. The overwhelming majority of the recipients are Sinhala farmers from Polonnaruwa, the home electorate of Mr Maithiripala, Tamil civil sources say. 

The World Bank is alleged of assisting Mr Sirisena without paying attention to the discriminative ‘development’ agenda of the SL unitary State's in the Eastern Province. 

Eezham Tamil farmers and fishermen in Batticaloa, facing the crisis in various forms from time to time, feel that they are under a persistent pressure to move away from their areas in the western hinterland of the district. 

The area is known as Paduvaan-karai, which was under the control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during the times of the war and the ceasefire monitored by the nordic countries between 2002 and 2006. Colombo's military seized Kudumpimalai from the control of the Tamil Tigers in 2007. 

The next phase of so-called agricultural expansion under the System B in 2018 will be Sinhalicisation of agricultural areas in the hinterland of Batticaloa district, say Tamil farmers who are dependent on irrigation channels from Vaakaneari and Vadamunai tanks in Padvuaan-karai. 

It is under these circumstances, the occupying Sinhala military and the SL Tourism Ministry are closely working to bring southerners into Paduvaan-karai, the Tamil villagers say. 


* * *




Kudumpimalai
Kudumpimalai in the Koa'ralaippattu division of Batticaloa district [Image courtesy: Asitha Gamalath, Flickr.com]



Kudumpi-malai is a 712 feet high hill. The term ‘Kudumpi’ is the Eezham Tamil form of the Tamil word Kudumi of Dravidian etymology, which commonly means the traditional hairdo of men in the form of a coiled knot either on top of the head or on the sides.


Baron's Cap, 1-inch
Kudumpimalai marked as Baron’s Cap in the Brtish made One Inch Map, revised in 1972 [Image Courtesy: Sri Lanka Survey Department]
Baron's Cap, Metric
Kudumpimalai marked as Baron’s Cap as well as Kudumbimalai in the 1: 50,000 sheet prepared in the 1980s [Image courtesy: Sri Lanka Survey Department]



Chronology: