War-torn Tamil villages continue with kerosene lamps in Ampaa’rai

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 April 2013, 07:55 GMT]
People of several Tamil villages in the Ampaa’rai district, affected by the war, continue using kerosene lamps. While the Tamil villagers affected in the East by SL military operations and were allowed to resettle after 2007 are not provided with any basic facilities, the Sinhala settlers and their villages get all the assistance, news sources in the East said. During the so-called resettlement and rehabilitation programmes in the East after 2007, many of the Tamil villagers were brought and left in the forests. As the “Dawn of the East” programme proclaimed with much pomp by occupying Colombo and eulogised by some world Establishments has been left to its failure, Colombo now talks about another programme “Crowning the Nation” to carry out Sinhalicisation of the East, the news sources further said. 

The then US ambassador to Sri Lanka, Robert Blake was one of the first diplomats to appreciate the ‘liberation’ of the East by genocidal Colombo, and to visit the East, promising ‘development’.

While there is much propaganda about assistance coming from several foreign countries, Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, many of the Tamil villages in The East have not changed from their war-affected appearance.

Roads are not developed and several villages are cut off for communication during rains.

A Tamil village Thurai-vanthu-i’rangkiya-meadu in Kalmunai division, resettled after 2007, has not received any basic facilities.

28,374 families in Ampaa’rai district alone continue with kerosene lamps.

Many of such families live in the villages of the war-affected Tamil divisions, Naavithan-ve’li, Kalmunai, Kaarai-theevu, Thiruk-koayil, Poththuvil, Akkaraip-pattu and Aalaiyadi-vempu.

Mullaiththeevu fishermen resist occupation of Sinhala fishermen

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 April 2013, 07:41 GMT]
Eezham Tamil fishermen of Maaththa’lan in Mullaiththeevu district resisted the arrival and occupation of Sinhala fishermen and attempted to set fire to their boats on Friday. As tension prevailed between the two groups, the occupying Sinhala navy rushed to the scene. After deliberations, finally the Sri Lanka Navy advised the southern group of fishermen to leave the area and return to the south immediately to diffuse tension. The Sinhala fishermen have then returned to their areas in the south, vowing that they would return to Maaththa'lan one day. 

The Sinhala fishermen had arrived in 20 boats to Maaththa’lan on Thursday, with an intention of permanently settling and carrying out fishing with the backing of the occupying Sinhala Navy.