The occupying Sri Lankan military in Trincomalee has seized the cremation ground belonging to 450 Tamil families, who were affected by 2004 Tsunami and resettled at Chalappaiyanaa’ru in Kuchchave’li. Similarly, another cremation ground of Tamils has been seized in Pulmoaadai. The SL Police in Pulmoaddai has banned the residents from cleaning their cremation ground.
If the SL military spots a land that could be exploited for its military corporatism, it places a board claiming that the land comes under coastal defence programme of the SL Defence Ministry. Within a few days or weeks, the land is taken over for a tourist resort or some other commercial purpose, Tamil civil sources in Kuchchave’li say.
Three acres of land, which has been the cremation and burial ground at Chalappaiyanaa’ru, is to be leased by the SL military to a foreign corporate establishment to construct a tourist resort, informed sources said.
The people have to now walk 7 km to bury their dead at another cremation ground.
Meanwhile, former TNA Parliamentarian K. Thurairatnasingam has urged the divisional secretary of Pulmoaddai to take immediate action to release the cremation ground which has been seized by the SL military in Pulmoaddai, as the funds allocated by a Tamil councillor, Mr Janarthan, of the Eastern Province should be used to improve the cremation ground before the deadline of utilising the fund expires.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow TNN on Facebook and Twitter )