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Villagers dig in on land demand, military says not sitting on private property
A day after the protest in Keppapulavu began, others began agitating in Puthukkudiyiruppu
When Sathees Kawsalya, along with her family of three children left their house in April, 2009, as the war entered the final stages, she was hoping to return home. She survived but has yet to go home.
Since then, she along with other 243 families from Keppapulavu, Mullaithivu have been waiting for more than eight years to return to their homes and lands.
The previous government resettled them in a ‘model village’ formed by clearing forest land located near a cemetery.
More than 54 families including children have been protesting for the past 18 days in a temporary shed near an air force camp demanding the return of their lands in Keppapulavu, a remote village 40 kilometres from Mullaitivu.
“We are fighting for our lands not only for us, for our children too. We don’t want to see them protesting like us in the future, we have a responsibility as parents to ensure that,” Kawsalya said while casting her eyes at her child on her lap.
She said that Keppapulavu residents were informed that their lands would be formally handed over on January 31 when President Maithripala Sirisena visits Mullaitivu. But the visit was cancelled due to bad weather and only a few acres of land belonging to some other villagers were handed over.
Soon after their disappointment, residents of Keppapulavu model village launched a protest.
“We could not accept this disappointment after a number of written and verbal assurances from ministers and politicians. We really expected the President would visit us and return our lands. We are determined to stay here until we are allowed to go home,” she said.
When the District Secretary of Mullaitivu visited them with a message from senior government ministers that their lands would be released as soon as the air force camp is relocated, the protesters were not willing to trust her. “We have heard this talk many times,” Kawsalya said.
“I have told them the decision of the government but they were insisting that they would not give up the protest until they are allowed to go to their lands,” Mrs R Ketheeswaran, District Secretary of Mullaithivu told the Sunday Times.
Their demands are not new.
As the last batch of internally displaced people in Menik Farm in Vavuniya after the end of the war, the villagers were told before being resettled in a model village that it was temporary.
At least 84 families claim ownership where every family was given a quarter acre of land. Only 54 have legal documents to prove ownership. Others said they have lost documents during many displacements.
A day after the protest in Keppapulavu began, others began agitating in Puthukkudiyiruppu, some 10 kilometres from Mullaithivu. They also want the military to release their lands. In all, 49 families started a protest in front of the Puthukkudiyiruppu Divisional Secretariat demanding 19 acres be returned.
Arunthavarasa Kamalarani, told the Sunday times, she is living in a rented house.
“We wanted to lead a peaceful life in our ancestral lands given by our parents. My father died last year due to the mental trauma he had to undergo with the expectation of returning home as it was built by him and given to me as dowry,” she said.
A five-member ad hoc committee consisting of former government agents of Jaffna and Mannar appointed by the Northern Provincial Council to look into this land issue noted that if the government’s resettlement policy of “displaced families will be resettled in their original places”, is implemented properly the relationship between the civilians and the armed forces would be more cordial in the district.
While noting that it could be considered as violation of human rights of IDPs by denying their right to go back to their lands, the committee recommended the 59 Division of the military to shift to the southwest where are more than 2,000 acres.
However, Air Force authorities said they had not been informed by the Defence Ministry about moving their establishments in Mullaitivu. But they are considering options available to resolve the issue.
“According to the Wildlife Department, we have been told that our camp is not located on private land as claimed by residents. However, we are engaged in discussions with relevant defence authorities to determine the accuracy of those residents’ claims. So far, no decision has been made,” Air Force Spokesperson Group Captain Chandima Alwis told the Sunday Times.
This week in a collective statement, at least 10 civil society organisations, the majority of them from the north, urged the government to release acquired lands in Keppapulavu and Puthukkudiyiruppu immediately for meaningful resettlement and help rebuild their livelihoods and homes.
“The Keppapulavu area has several large camps on private land, including fertile farm land. We are concerned by reports that the military is currently in the process of chopping down and burning trees and destroying foundations of homes of the 84 families from Puthukkudiyiruppu – a wanton destruction of a basis to rebuild the lives of villagers on their eventual return,” the collective statement noted.