Families of enforced disappeared, uprooted people to boycott elections

The families of enforced disappeared who have been waging a continuous protest for 292 days in front of Kanthasamy temple in Ki'linochchi on Friday announced that they are going to boycott all the elections in the future as the electoral politicians have completely failed to address their demands. The uprooted people of Keappaa-pulavu in Mullaiththeevu, who have been waging a continuous protest for the last 283 days, said they were also going to boycott the elections. A spokeswoman for the protesting families at Ki'linochchi said their meetings with SL President Maithiripala Sirisena in the past, facilitated by the electoral politicians, were of no use. 

In their second meeting with the SL President, Mr Sirisena had promised to organise direct visit to alleged places of torture chambers and secret detention camps. But, no such arrangements were carried out. 

When the families took up the matter with him in the next meeting, he simply brushed away the allegations of the existence of such secret detention camps, the spokeswoman said. 

The families of enforced disappeared are engaged in continuous protests in Maruthangkea'ni, Vadamaraadchi East of Jaffna district and in Vavuniyaa in the North. Similar protests were also taking place in the East. 

The uprooted people of Keappaa-pulavu said the occupying Sinhala military was receiving money from the SL Resettlement Ministry to relocate itself from the lands of the Tamil people at Keappaa-pulavu. But, no such relocation has taken place so far, they said. 

Instead the SL military is beefing up its military structures within the occupied zone, they blamed. 

The SL military comes up with new deadlines all the time. Now, they have said they would do something by 31st of December, which is not going to happen, the families said. 

The Tamil National Alliance, particularly the ITAK hierarchy is engaged in collaborative politics with the SL State on the advice coming from the foreign powers is directly responsible for their plight, the families said.