Ms Anura, the Sinhala lady who has ‘purchased’ 25 acres of lands near the area where SL Navy is stationed, was initially claiming that she was purchasing the lands to set up a tourist resort at the locality.
But, it turns out to be a plan to set up a Sinhala settlement of fishermen from South, complain Rural Development Society (RDS), Fisheries associations and Women Development Society representatives in Vaakarai.
80 acres of lands in Noolam-paadi area belongs to private owners who are all Tamils. They were affected by the devastating Tsunami in December 2004.
Claiming that civilian resettlement was prohibited in 100-200 meters from the coastal line, the original land-owners were not allowed to reconstruct their houses. But, the regulation was later revised, reducing the no-building buffer zone to 50-100 meters.
Before the people managed to reconstruct their houses, the war broke out and people were forced to vacate the entire Vaakarai region.
Since 2007, the SL Navy has been stationed there refusing people to resettle in Noolam-paadi.
This costal stretch is now being slowly transformed into a Sinhala colony, the representatives of local organizations say.