Jungle life for Tamils and royal life for military on occupied lands

Siva Parameswaran

War-affected Tamils from the small village of Keppapulavu in Mullaitivu district have desperately pleaded with the new Prime Minister of the country Harini Amarasuriya for the return of their lands occupied by the military.

They have been running from pillar to post for over 15 years to reclaim their own lands for their dwelling and livelihood.

Now, the Tamils eagerly await a decision by the PM now that she is been made aware of their plight and want her to act decisively in returning their lands, amidst fears the new government may force them to stay in their ‘resettled’ place promising facilities.

Even after the brutal civil war came to a bloody end, the impoverished Tamils who lost vast tracts of lands that were forcefully taken over by the Sri Lankan security forces, are struggling to get them back.

Their lands were forcefully taken over by the military in 2009 during the final phase of the war that was backed by the current ruling party.

Tamils of the Model Village Peoples Federation recently handed over a letter to the Prime Minister seeking the return of their legally entitled lands at the earliest.

In government terms these families from Keppapulavu village are ‘resettled’, but the reality is they are displaced from their own lands.

Citing the standard ‘National Security’ the government led by Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2012 cleared a piece of jungle land-causing serious environmental issues- in Seeniyamottai and forcefully resettled them without handing over their traditional ancestral lands for their living and taking forward their livelihood.

The military usurped vast areas in Mullaitivu district and has built buildings depriving the legitimate land owners of decent accommodation and banishing them into a cleared jungle land where they live under constant threat from wildlife and the military.

Globally Mullaitivu is said to be the most militarized place in the world comparatively with a 2:1 Military-civil ratio.

The UN is also accused of putting the natives of the Keppapulavu in such a miserable situation. The late Dr Subinay Nandy was the UN residential coordinator in Sri Lanka at that time.

With the general election just days away, the Tamils under the Peoples’ Federation have put forward the return of their lands if their votes are needed.

They have demanded the immediate release of over 70 acres of land belonging to families and individuals.

“59.5 acres of lands belonging to 55 families, 11.5 acres of land belonging to 3 individuals, 75 acres of lands (25 house scheme project) belonging to 3 individuals, 84.5 acres of lands belonging to 104 families, 86 acres of lands belonging to 6 individuals, 25 acres of lands belonging to 9 families and coastal areas where the fishing community involved in fishing more than 50 years were occupied by military forces”.

In their letter to the PM, the Tamils have said they continue to live in extreme poverty and have no access to healthy food and clean water, without proper settlement.

The hardship of the Keppapulavu Tamils has been well documented by international agencies including the UN.

A report by the UN Refugee Agency on the 28th of September 2012 spoke of their ordeal

“The world is being told an untruth about us being resettled,” Sivaguru Angaramuttu Udalayakumari, a 43-year-old IDP relocated from Menik Farm, told IRIN as she got on a bus, adding that she had little idea where she was going.

The group was not allowed to return to their homes in the Kepapulavu area of northeastern Sri Lanka’s Mullaitivu District because their land was being occupied by the military, but were instead, relocated on state-owned land and must wait to hear if they will be able to return home or, if not, whether they will receive compensation”.

Even after 12 years their life in the ‘resettled’ jungle area remains amidst poverty and insecurity.

They want PM Harini Amarasuriya to release at least 59.5 acres of land belonging to 55 families from the military. Along with their land, they have lost their primary source of living, with fishing being the foremost among them.

Their dwelling in the cleared jungle area called a ‘model village’ lacks basic infrastructure for even a below-average living.

“We have been living with unspeakable hardships, troubles, difficulties, and life’s burdens.

We need our land back. We have been experiencing many anxieties at the welfare camp. But we strongly stand in our opinion saying that there is no room for alternative lands – settlement and alternative explanations.” their letter to the PM says.

They also accuse the present governor of the Northern Province of forcefully resettling them in the ‘model village’ rather than their own lands on 24.09.2012, when he was the Government Agent of Mullaitivu at that time.

“We are leading the life of refugees in our own lands. On the other hand, the military forces are living very happily in our own lands, declared our native place as Military Headquarters. Is it a corruption or not? However, the old military headquarters is still under military control in Mullaitivu. When was our native land a military headquarters? How can a military security headquarters be set up in the middle of people’s residents?” their letter to the PM questions.

The military has constructed huge buildings on the ‘illegally occupied land’ belonging to the Tamils and is now citing it as a reason for not returning it to the rightful owners. Tamils accuse successive governments of hoodwinking the international community saying they have been resettled, which Tamils accuse of lacking basic infrastructure like proper toilet facilities and clean drinking water which are classified as fundamental rights by international agencies.

Local journalists point out Keppapulavu is a classic example where fertile and livelihood-rich lands have been grabbed by the security agencies and the legal Tamil owners banished to the jungle under the guise of ‘resettlement’ without any facilities, while the ‘occupying army’ are enjoying the benefits of the land.

According to Tamil lawmakers, thousands of acres in the Tamil traditional homeland in the North and East continue to be under the security forces

“Is this justice of a democratic state?” the Tamils in their letter to the PM have questioned.