GoSL was aware of this large scale displacement well ahead of time because it planned and created it.

Yet, it had made no preparations for receiving and caring for the influx of such a large number within such a short time. Batticaloa was already struggling with 40,000 refugees from Vaharai and the conditions for them even after two months is appalling.

Some staff from humanitarian agencies, not wishing to be named, have said that food ear marked for the Vaharai refugees are being diverted to the new influx of refugees because the focus of the media and the international community is turned on this new influx and not on the Vaharai refugees anymore.

This is the type of preparation of GoSL to handle this well planed creation of 150,000 Tamil refugees.

Confirming the callous handling of the refugees by the Sri Lankan military is the latest statement by Human Rights Watch where it said, "Sri Lankan authorities are using threats and intimidation to force civilians who fled recent fighting in Sri Lanka’s civil war to return home Government and military officials are threatening to cut aid and withdraw security for displaced persons who refuse to return. Since March 12, the government has been returning people from at least six internally displaced person sites in eastern Batticaloa district.

At least 771 individuals have been sent to Trincomalee district farther north as part of a plan to return approximately 2,800 internally displaced persons."

Adding his voice to the chorus of concern is the Bishop of Batticaloa, Kingsley Swampillai who said, "Batticaloa town is filled with the cries of the 150,000 refugees who were forced out of their homes by the deliberate targeting of the civilians. Yet we have been restricted in bringing out their plight, while government spokespersons are insisting that the situation is not as bad as we make out."

In order to put this displacement and the displacement from Vaharai of Tamils in context, some rudimentary understanding of fifty years of planned land confiscation from Tamils that are then settled by Sinhalese is necessary. L

et us just look at the Batticaloa situation. Of interest during this latest military onslaught is a new Sri Lankan military camp setup this week at Thanthamalai Hindu temple (see map).

This temple lies in the Tamil area of Batticaloa near the border with the adjacent Sinhala settlements created during the last 50 years. It is well known that this newly created Sinhala village was settled with Sinhala prisoners who were given regular food ration and gun.

This village used to be called by the Tamil name, Punuhunay, referring to a species of cat in the civet family, found in the area. Musk from this animal was much sought after. This village is now called by the Sinhala sounding name, Punuhunava. This village was part of an affluent Tamil region called Keviliyamadhu.

Looking back a few months, the entire Tamil population in Trincomalee was displaced during the last six months of 2006. Part of their land is now ear marked for a coal powered electricity plant. Reports of Tamils being forcefully resettled in these parts of Trincomalee while avoiding the land ear marked for the power plant is another recent Example of land confiscation.

Indeed the black areas in the map all used to be Tamil settlements. Tamils were displaced from here by various methods and then they were converted into Sinhala settlements. Some spectacular massacres were staged to force entire villages of Tamils out so that Sinhalese could be settled in it. The full story of this colonosation is yet to be told in all its details and brutality.

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