People in Batticaloa district said that occupying Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities are substituting traditional Tamil names of streets to Sinhalese names. Alli Oadai Tamil name for the street to Kudumpimalai has been changed into Ali O’luva, a Sinhalese name, they further said. Kudumpimalai is a traditional Tamil village in Koa’ralaippattu South Divisional Secretariat.
The ancient name Alli Oadai, which means Lotus pond had with times becomes Sinhalicised by the occupying Sri Lankan forces as Aliyaa Oadai (Elephant Pond). This was also generally known as 9th Mile Junction.
Residents of Kudumpimalai uprooted from their traditional village in 2007 due to SLA offensive had been living in camps in Kiraan, Chanthivea’li, Murakkoddancheanai.
One being resettled in Kudumpimalai a few months back the civilians found the Tamil name boards changed to Sinhalese names.
The people, however, do not find them in a situation where they can complain about the Sinhalicisation by SLA to anyone.
Meanwhile, traditional Tamil villages located on the border of Batticaloa district has been colonized with Sinhalese people.
Efforts by Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians to stop the colonization of more than a hundred Sinhalese families in Kevu’liyamadu had failed, sources in Batticaloa said.
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