The Sri Lankan government is doing the opposite to what it wants portrayed to the outside world with the beautiful term ‘reconciliation’, declared Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian from Batticaloa, Mr P. Selvarasa, Friday, at the agricultural development meeting held at the Batticaloa District Secretariat. Allowing the SL State officials to collaborate with the Buddhist prelate of Mangalarama vihara while there is a court order against the illegal settlement in Paddip-pazhai division and literally banning the Tamils at Navakkiri in Vellaa-ve’li division from accessing their tank to engage in their livelihood of fresh water fishing, is nothing else than setting one community against the other, he said citing the latest reports.
The Tamil people, who have been dependent upon fresh water fishing in Navakkiri tank are now fully denied access to the tank following the encroachment by Sinhalese from Ampaa’rai district.
Despite the repeated efforts by the Tamil fishermen in urging the authorities to provide them access to the Navakkiri tank, their demands remain systematically neglected till this date, he said. The fishermen are organised in a fishing society, but their voices remain unheard. These Tamil fishermen should be provided access to their tank if the SL State is serious about ‘reconciliation’ the TNA parliamentarian from Batticaloa said.
Likewise, all the illegal settlements in Paddippazhai should be abandoned in compliance with the court order, he said.
More than 15 permanent houses have been put up already and 21 more houses are to be constructed for the encroachers from elsewhere while the people of Kevu’liyaa-madu are denied to access the public lands allocated for grazing their livestock.
These settlements should be scrapped and access to grazing lands should be restored, the parliamentarian further demanded, adding that the GA should act without further delay.
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