Sinhala occupation of Kokku’laay lagoon tripled after 2009

Strategically located Kokku’laay lagoon on the borders of Trincomalee district and Mullaith-theevu district has become the haven for Sinhalese fishermen who arrive from south of the island. With the end of the war in 2009, the number of Sinhalese fishermen occupying lagoon area had been trebled, civil sources in Mullaiththeevu said.

The invading fishermen from South do fishing in the lagoon using prohibited nets and other fishing tools, traditional Tamil fishermen in the area complain.

About three thousand Tamil fisher families residing in Pu’liyamunai, Mariyaa-munai, Karunaadduk-kea’ni, Thennai-maravadi, Kokku’laay and Kokuth-thoduvaay, solely depending on the income of fishing in Kokku’laay lagoon for their survival. They use traditional fishing nets for fishing for their livelihood.

Following the SL State sponsored anti-Tamil pogroms in 1983, traditional Tamil fishermen families were forced out of their villages seeking refuge elsewhere for safety.

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