SL Departments worse than ever in seizing Tamil lands: TNA MP

K. Thurairetnasingam, a veteran ITAK politician from Trincomalee and a national list parliamentarian of the TNA, says Colombo government's Forest Department, Department of Archaeology, Department of Wildlife Conservation, Department of Coastal Conservation and Mahaweli Authority behave in a manner worse than ever before when it comes to seizing the lands of Tamils. The close associate of Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan was making a particular reference to the latest move by the Mahaweli Authority planning to grab 7,000 acres of lands in Mullaiththeevu and said a strong message has already been conveyed through Mr Sampanthan to the concerned Establishment in Colombo. The matter would also be taken up with SL President Maithiripala Sirisena on his return from foreign vist, he further said when contacted by TamilNet on Friday. 

Mr Sirisena was in Pakistan, attempting to pass a geopolitical “message” to the US Establishment by timing his visit to Pakistan to coincide with Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva. 

His visit to Pakistan also comes after the anti-Muslim pogroms in the island. 

In Pakistan, Mr Sirisena said Colombo was fully supporting China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. 

In the meantime, ITAK Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran was trying to impress the Tamils with meaningless photo-sessions from irrelevant corridors in New York. 

On the ground, Sampanthan's close associate, K. Thurairetnasingam was complaining that he was struggling for more than six months to get a small plot of land for the children of 6 villages including Challi, Chaampal-theevu, Aaththi-moaddai and Nochchik-ku'lam in Trincomalee City and Gravets division. 

“I have personally gone and talked to Forest Department officials and with the Divisional Secretary on the matter. Nothing has come out of it. If the issue had been about allocating lands to Sinhalese, everything would have gone swiftly,” he said. “

The behaviour of these departments is notably worse than ever before. The matter was also taken up in the recent coordinating committee meeting, and a committee has been formed to look into the issue. ” the 77-year-old TNA Parliamentarian told TamilNet on Friday. 

The issue of genocidal land-grab and demographic changes was a heated issue in the recent ITAK meeting, he further said.

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