Resettlement showcase brings in further miseries to uprooted Tamils
[TamilNet, Friday, 24 August 2012, 20:29 GMT]
250 families recently brought to Chivanakar village in
Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK) division of Mullaiththeevu district complain
that they have been let down by the SL authorities that rush to vacate
the Menik Farm in Cheddiku'lam, Vavuniyaa. Promising the uprooted
proper resettlement to the uprooted Tamils in their own village, 141
families were brought from Menik Farm to Chivanakar. Another 101
families who were residing with their kith and kin elsewhere also joined
them when their village was announced opened for resettlement. Now,
these families are struggling in their own village without any shelter
and have sought refuge under the trees. There are no basic facilities.
Most of these families, who are below the poverty line, demand at least
temporary huts and basic facilities before the rainy season begins in a
few weeks from now.
The complaints from the people of Chivanakar follows the reports of SL
military expelling the people brought from Menik Farm to
Mallikaith-theevu in PTK a few days ago. The SL military chased away the
people of Mallikaiththeevu saying there were still land mines in their
village. The area had been declared ready for resettlement earlier.
In
the meantime, uprooted people brought from Menik Farm to Poonakari
division in Ki'linochchi district a few months ago, have now announced
civil protests after their requests and repeated appeals for basic
facilities have been totally ignored by the Sri Lankan authorities.
The
Sri Lankan State, while projecting military enclaves and Sinhala
colonies in the country of Eezham Tamils, systematically sabotage
external aid programmes reaching the resettling Tamils. Foreign and
local NGOs are not allowed to operate in Vanni and the people are made
to expect assistance coming through their enemy's genocidal gates.
Colombo
authorities only gave 20,000 rupees to each of the family of
Chivanakar, who were promised resettlement in their own village. Since
then, there has been no credible move in assisting them with basic
facilities necessary for resettlement.
Recently, SL Defence
Secretary and presidential sibling Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has gone on
record vowing to close down the Menik Farm camp.
Diplomatic
circles in Colombo said the Rajapaksa regime in Colombo was attempting
to project that all the displaced Tamils have been resettled by
dispersing the uprooted Tamils without providing basic facilities.
Chronology:
