The occuying SL military and the extremist Sinhala Buddhist monk have put up memorial stones for fallen Sinhala soldiers within the premises in recent days as advised by a ministry in Colombo. Note the fresh soil surrounding the memorial stones.
The uprooted Tamil farmer is now dependent on daily-wage-work for the survival of his family. He is one of the grandsons of Mr Somasundaram, who was originally in possession of a land permit at the said locality during the times of the so-called independence of Ceylon in 1948.
Mr Somasundaram was a post master. He was also behind the establishment of a Saiva Pi'l'laiyaar temple at the locality, which was known as Villuk-ku'lam (meaning natural pond or marsh turned into a pond).
In 1953, Mr Somsundaram finalised the transfer of one acre of the permit land to his son, Mr Thirugnanasampanthar (documentation attached). This is the land where the occupying monk and the SL military have been hurriedly constructing a stupa, Mr Manikkathas says.
Manikkathas and his siblings, together with all their family members, were uprooted from Villuk-ku'lam following the anti-Tamil pogroms in early 80s. Their families were displaced to Vavuniyaa.
They went back to resettle in their lands after the area became accessible to the public after 2011.
A map drawn by the owners of the lands struggling to release their lands
“When my brother and myself started to clear the lands, Sri Lankan soldiers intervened and claimed that the land belonged to a monk. They removed our belongings and took us to a nearby military camp and interrogated us. They were harassing us repeatedly to transfer the lands. But, we were firm in claiming our rights,” he said, identifying the location of his land as the place where the monk is constructing a stupa.
Page 1 of the land permit belonging to Thirugnanasampanthar family
Page 2 of the land permit belonging to Thirugnanasampanthar family
The location of Buddhist temple establishment [Image courtesy: Google Earth]
Temple to the East and ‘other activities’ to the West
When there was natural vegetation cover, the traces of an old fortification at this spot was clearly visible (See Google Earth map from 2005).
Google Earth map from 2005
Google Earth map from 2014
As a strategic locality, in the old eastern coast communication route of Eezham Tamils, it is not surprising, there was a settlement at this spot.
The spot is also a high ground in the water and marsh surrounded area, so that this is the only potential land there.
The active backing of the Colombo regime and the Sinhala military for the Buddhist monk to build a Buddhist temple-centric economic establishment at this place, is clearly a premeditated, much-studied and well-planned process. This is one of the classic examples of the planned structural genocide committed by the Sinhala State and its military against the nation of Eezham Tamils in the island, commented civil activists from Kokku'laay.
A One Inch Sheet of the Survey Department, originally prepared in the British times and last revised in 1978, shows the traditional Tamil village having a Hindu temple and a church.
A building already constructed inside the controversial premises
The hospital building photographed in June 2015
Buddha statue at the site of the main Bo tree
The state of construction has been photographed and documented by local journalists
