| by Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam
( September 25, 2012, Colombo,
Sri Lanka Guardian) The Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) organized a
protest in front of the Mullaitivu Government Agent's office on Friday the 21st
of September 2012 urging resettlement of the Keappapulavu people in their
native village. The protest was well attended by people of Keappapulavu living
with host families in Vattrapallai and by other political parties- representatives of the TNA, Democratic
People's Front, Navasamasamaja Party and the New Democratic Marxist Leninist
Party. Despite intimidation from SLA intelligence the protest well attended. As
you may be aware my vehicle and Mr. Kajendran's (General Secretary of the TNPF)
vehicle were attacked on our way back to Jaffna after attending the protest.
Number of people from
Keappapulavu who attended the protest was seeking the international community's
intervention enabling them to resettle in their native village. The memo they
signed would have had more signatories if the SLA had not prevented people from
inside the Menik Farm camp who had wished to attend the protest on Friday. The
people had been denied passes by the SLA to attend the protest.
Yesterday morning, a day after
the protest, (22/09/12) the Mullaitivu GA along with the regional military
commander of the Keappapulavu area (one Samarasinghe) had met with
representatives of the village in the Chetikkulam Camp. The intention of the
meeting was to get the consent of the families to willingly move temporarily on
Monday the 24th of September, to the Vattrappolai Maha Vidyalayam till such
time as the villagers find alternate lands that they would like to settle in
(they are not going to allowed to return to their original lands in
Keappapulavu as the military has begun to build their permanent base in the
area that covers the entire village). The officials had promised to provide all
the needed financial and other assistance to facilitate their relocation.
Hearing this suggestion,
representatives of Keappapulavu had refused to leave Chettikkulam Camp unless
they were to be settled in their own lands in Keappapulavu. They had also
stated that they were not looking for any assistance, and that all they needed
was available in their own lands in Keappapulavu. At this stage the military
intelligence officials had begun to photograph the village representatives and
had threatened them severely. Despite this, the village representatives did not
give in. As a compromise, the Keappapulavu representatives had made a final
offer, namely that, they were willing to leave the Chettikkulam Camp and shift
to a temporary location on Monday the 24thSeptember, only if, as a last resort,
a written assurance is given from a high ranking official who is competent to
do so in this matter, that within a specified time frame all the families will
be able to resettle in their respective lands in Keappapulavu itself.
At this stage the military
official, Samarasinghe, had lost his temper and had become extremely abusive.
He had said, come what may, all the people will be removed from the
Chettikkulam Camp on Monday the 24th September. On that note the meeting ended.
The Keappapulavu people are insisting on wanting to resettle in their original
lands in Keappapulavu itself and nowhere else. They fear that if they leave
Chettikkulam Camp, the world's focus on resettlement will be lost and they will
never be able to get back to their own homes.
I write seeking your intervention
to prevent the people of Keappapulavu being resettled against their wishes. It
seems like the GOSL wants to close down the Chettykulum camp before the UNHRC
sessions in Geneva in November. I am sure you would agree with me that the
people can't be used as pawns by the Government to attain its short term
diplomatic goals.
( The writer formerly Member of
Parliament for the Jaffna District (2001-2010) and the President of the Tamil National People's Front )
 The Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) or...){kind=link}