Sri Lankan army ‘colonising’ Tamil lands
Sri Lanka’s Army Commander General Foneska’s statement on recruiting 100,000 new recruits has raised fears, in the minds of Sri Lankan Tamil Observer groups, of systematic colonisation of the Tamil lands in the North and the East by the Sinhala army. This fear is becoming a pre-occupation with these observers, as they mull over the issue of peaceful settlement of Tamil issue.
At the third anniversary of International Tamil Centre (ITC), they said, “Instead of demobilisation of armed power, Sri Lankan government is going in for fresh recruitment drive. This is nothing but the reflection of the mistrust and unsafe conditions that exist for the innocent Tamils.” As the think-tanks tried answering what Next? After the fall of LTTE, Bruce Fein, former Associate deputy Attorney General and Counsel for the Tamils Against Genocide Group urged the Tamils groups to unite. He said: “We very badly need a sense of unity and co mmitment, we have to put aside the egomania and have to represent the issue united for the movement to be persistent.
We need a face to lead, we need unity now than ever before.” Burce Fein also pointed at the debilitating Tamil trait of infighting as, “If there are three Tamilians , there are 10 political outfits. This has to stop. We need to come together as a collected force, otherwise we are allowing the Lankan government to get away with the genocide.”
Dr Winston Panchat – sharam, Founder ITC (USA) president with a powerpoint presentation took the audience through the throes of torture and trauma of the innocent Tamils at the island nation. He said, “More than 50,000 Tamils were killed in Wanni and 13,000 are missing if you don’t call this genocide then what is genocide?
Colonisation of Traditional Tamil lands has gone on from the D.S Senanyake the first prime minister’s era after independence was declared.This ‘under cover slow machinary’ was put into place then.
The Tamils had no ‘outfits’ then.we were the unsuspecting monority Tamil trustworthy people. However our records show,all our members of parliament from 1948 met certain laws that were being passed in parliament with great opposition etc.All was thrown out.There was no democratic principle in parliament.we were and we still are a minority group in parlaiment.
In the scenario of an armed struggle the unity of the tamils was eroding due to many ‘outfits’.Even the small numbered ‘outfits’ simply did not realise perhaps a lonely voice will be lost in the wilderness.village to village the youth’s loyalty was tested.people played on the caste system.Opinions,rules,desires,convictions were different from one to the other.They tested each others strength,brain and valor.
Our aspirations for a better life have not changed.In the scenario of our struggle many of the plans of the singhala majority became transparant.One of the major plan was ‘colonisation of traditional Tamil lands’.we have heard and read Tarzie Vitachi’s book “emergency 1958′ and the description of the ‘Padaviya panzers’.These singhala thugs with families were the first to be brought to areas in the Padaviya district to colonise the tamil areas.They slowly bullied and threatened the Tamils who lived in these traditional lands that finally the Tamils slowly moved out.
The Galoya scheme and surrounding areas.Omanthai and Kokavil to name a few.
If these new 100.000 thousand army recruits are to be camped in traditionl lands of the Tamils in the North and East then all Tamil lands surrounding these high security Zones will eventually be parcelled out to singhalese as colonists.
Many homes,farming lands,paddy fields were willfully carved out for army camps.These are still existing.These were marked as HSZ though the Tamils still own the deeds.Will these camps be moved so that the owners could go back and settle in their own homes,cultivate their farming lands and paddy fields.
For fear of initmidation,rape etc some families in the vicinity have left.Unless the camps set up in the midst of civilian populated areas are moved out the Tamils remain a PREY.
This will be easy for the government to move their plan of colonsing Traditional homelands of the Tamils.
Great,
Shouldn’t the tamils be happy about the come back made by colonisation. by all accounts, the Tamils in Sri lanka were very big fans of colonisation. they were the strongest supporters of british colonisation next to singapore’s chinese community. they should be glad about the return of the coloniser realy