Colombo's ‘Mahaweli Authority’ chases away resettled Eezham Tamils in Kokkuth-thoduvaay

Genocidal Sri Lanka's Ministry of ‘Mahaweli Development & Environment’, which is led by SL President Maithiripala Sirisena, has started to deploy violence to chase away the resettled Eezham Tamils at 15th Mile Post in Kokkuth-thoduvaay, a strategically situated coastal village in Karai-thu'raip-pattu division of Mullaiththeevu district, the affected families complained. On 02 June, SL Forest Department personnel, accompanied by ‘Mahaweli Development’ officials forcibly removed the temporary huts of some of the resettled Tamil families at 15th Mile Post. After the end of genocidal onslaught on Vanni in May 2009, the project of Sinhalicisation has been intensified through the Sinhala colony of Padaviya in Anuradhapura and Vavuniyaa districts and the entire Ma'nalaa'ru (Weli-oya) area has been fully Sinhalicised and emerged as the ‘Sinhala Only’ administrative division in Mullaiththeevu.

The family of S. Ramachandran, who had returned from Tamil Nadu, India, to resettle in their village of Kaayaadik-ku'lam was chased away on 01 June by Forest Department personnel. The temporary hut of the family was destroyed by the Forest Department personnel. The SL Forest Department comes under the SL Ministry of Mahaweli. The land-owner was also detained by the Forest Department personnel, civil sources in Mullaiththeevu told TamilNet.

The resettled Tamil villagers are in possession of documents to prove their ownership to the lands. The divisional secretariat has already confirmed this. The land authority has also confirmed this in 2014 during the regime of Rajapaksa.

However, ‘Mahaweli Development’ ministry claims that these lands come under its colonisation scheme.

Sirisena's ministry is engaged in a project named as ‘Welioya Integrated Development Project’ with a budget of 4,000 million rupees, informed civil sources in Mullaiththeevu said.

The project was already schemed when Maithiripala was in control of the same ministry under Rajapaksa's regime. The entire Ma'nalaa'ru area of Eezham Tamils has been carved out as a separate division in Mullaiththeevu district.

The project is now targeting to chase away the Eezham Tamil families, particularly from the coastal villages of Kokkuththoduvaay, Kokku'laay an Karunaadduk-kea'ni.

The location of Kokku'laay village and lagoon.