Muslim village seized for Sinhalicisation

Muslim village seized for Sinhalicisation in Ki’n’niyaa, Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 September 2013, 06:23 GMT]
After keeping the Muslim residents of K'andal-kaadu village in Ki'n'niyaa division of Trincomalee district as uprooted people since 1990 and sabotaging their resettlement efforts after the war, the occupying SL military and Police are now blocking the villagers even from entering their village. The entire village and its paddy fields overgrown with bushes, is now being appropriated to construct a Sinhala settlement, complain the Muslim villagers who possess legal documents provided to them under the British rule. The Eastern Province Chief Minister, who is a Muslim from Ki'n'niyaa, has also failed to secure their village back to them, they say.

The entire Muslim population of around two thousand people were uprooted from their century old village in 1990 and fled to safety elsewhere leaving their lands and other properties.

The uprooted people were not allowed to resettle permanently in their lands thereafter.

But, huts were erected by a non-governmental organization.

In 2010, the Sri Lankan Police burned down these huts. The resettled people had left the village once again.

Now the occupying Sri Lanka Army and Police are not allowing uprooted people to resettle in the village.

The Sri Lankan military has also destroyed the mosque in the village.

Chronology:

29.09.13  Muslim village seized for Sinhalicisation in Ki’n’..

01.11.10  Police forcibly evict Muslim resettled families in..

Lands seized for Buddhist vihara in Trincomalee Muslim village

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 September 2013, 21:14 GMT]

Sinhala Buddhist extremist elements have seized 50 acres of land to construct a Buddhist vihara in Chelvaa-nakar GS division at Thoappoor Akkarai village, known as Neena village, which is a Muslim village, according to former parliamentarian M Mouroof.

There are no Buddhists in the village where Muslims have been living for generations.

The divisional secretary of Seruwila has instructed the village (GS) officer to hand over the lands claiming that there was a vihara in that locality in the past.

The Muslims tolerated the move when 6 acres of lands were initially allocated. But, later the appropriation seems to be much larger in dimension, the Muslims say.

Around 60 Muslim families living in the said land would also be affected by the move.

Tamils vote with Muslims in EPC against SLA land grab of Muslim village

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 November 2012, 15:30 GMT]
The Eastern Provincial Council (EPC), which is now under the control of ruling United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA) passed a resolution unanimously Tuesday against the appropriation by the Sri Lanka Army of the entire traditional Muslim village, Karimayilaiyoottu with a century old mosque. C.Thandayuthapani, the opposition leader in the EPC who represents the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) extended full support to the motion saying that no one would tolerate the appropriation of a traditional Muslim village and the mosque by the Sri Lankan military. The resolution was brought by Ameer Ali, a ruling party member, at the monthly meeting of the EPC.

Karimayilaiyoottu village is situated in Ve'l'lama'nal GS division of Trincomalee DS division.

More than one hundred Muslim families had been living in the village. Thei main livelihood is fishing. The mosque at their village was built in the year 1838.

When the Indian military arrived in the North-East in 1987, a camp of the IPKF was set up in the village. The residents were evacuated and were given temporary shelter elsewhere during the IPKF stay. The villagers returned after the IPKF left.

Thereafter, in 1994 the occupying Sri Lanka Navy constructed a camp in the village and introduced a ‘pass’ system for the residents to move in and out of the village, fully restricting their livelihood.

The uprooted Muslims then organized a protest demanding that they should be allowed to resettle and to continue fishing without any interruption by the Sri Lanka Navy. However, when the Sri Lanka Navy said it would leave the village, the Sri Lanka Army without any notice walked into the village in January 2012, setting up a camp and dashing the hope of Muslim residents that they could at last return to their village.

Mr.Ameer Alia made a plea that it is high time that the EPC should take immediate steps to send away the Sri Lanka Army from the village and allow the uprooted Muslim people to resettle in their lands and pray in their centuries old mosque.

Mr.Thandayuthapani, urged all members of the EPC, irrespective of their party affiliations, to support the motion.

The opposition leader further said that the EPC also should look into the untold sufferings of the Tamil people who have been uprooted from Champoor in April 2006 following massive military operation by the Sri Lankan military.

The uprooted Tamil people are now languishing in temporary shelters for the last several years without being allowed to resettle in their own lands, Mr.Thandayuthapani appealed.

He pointed out that Champoor uprooted people are currently housed in four temporary shelters in Paddiththidal, Ma'natcheanai, Ki'liveddi and Kaddai-pa'richchaan.

SL authorities are refusing relief assistance to the uprooted Tamils of Champoor and they are undergoing untold sufferings due to recent rains.

The EPC should take up their case with Colombo and provide relief by allowing them to resettle in their traditional villages, Mr. Thandayuthapani urged.