Paramilitary groups deployed to grab coastal lands in Ampaa'rai

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 June 2012, 22:06 GMT]
The occupying Sri Lanka Army has deployed paramilitary groups to grab lands that belong to Tamils along the coastal belt of Ampaa'rai. The lands seized from Tamil owners are later sold to settlers and businessmen from the South by the SL military. The paramilitary operatives, who interfere in land issues, have also been used by politicians to appropriate public lands. Latest reports from Kaaraitheevu division say that a Tamil politician, with the backing of paramilitary, now claims the ownership of a plot of land allocated for the construction of a children park in the beach of Kaaraitheevu village that comes under the Kaaraitheivu DS division in Ampaa'rai district.

An official attached to the divisional secretariat said that a former chairman of the local civic body was attempting to appropriate the plot of land for his own purpose with the backing of paramilitary operatives.

After the 2004 tsunami, the people who lived within the distance of hundred meters from the sea were ordered to relocate themselves through a special directive of the SL State.

The SL military has now deployed the paramilitary groups to sell these lands to others, the DS official further said adding that the local politicians and civil servants who are used by the military to grab lands for Sinhalicisation are provided with minor favours.

The plot of land that has been earmarked by the Kaaraitheevu DS office for the construction of a children park at a cost of nine hundred thousand rupees under the North East Local Services Improvement Project (NELSIP) project.

Preliminary work of the park project was completed three months ago.