The Rights Of Minorities

Sri Lankan intelligence deployed to harass Tamil and Muslim activists 

28/July/217

 

 

The so-called National Intelligence Bureau based in Colombo has started to harass Tamil and Muslim social activists who have been actively engaged in resettling uprooted Tamil and Muslim villagers at 60th Mile Post, which is situated in the administrative division of Poththuvil in Ampaa'rai district. Tamil and Muslim activists in Poththuvil say that the Sinhala military intelligence operatives have been visiting their houses warning them against their activism. The intelligence officers in civil uniform were also telling the social activists that it was ‘illegal’ to collect details of people in an attempt to silence their activism. The threats have come after a Sinhala NGO personality based in South had obtained the details including the documents of land deeds from the activists. 

 

54 families were living in 60th Mile Post. While each family was given deed lands in 1982, there was an also a housing scheme, known as 30-houses scheme. All the people were chased out already after one year during the 1983 anti-Tamil pogroms. 

 

The Tamil and Muslim people were again uprooted from their settlement at 60th Mile Post during the war between the Indian military and the LTTE (1988 - 1990). Thereafter Sinhala military was blocking their resettlement during the times of Eezham war. 

 

After 2007, the families managed to access their village with the help of social activists. However, the Colombo government was not prepared to assist the people to properly resettle in their own village. 
The resettling people submitted documentary ownership of their lands to SL authorities. Now, the documentation was inspected by the so-called ‘National Investigation Bureau’ which operates under SL Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe. 

 

During the regime of Rajapaksa, armed Sinhala soldiers and intelligence operatives attached to camps of the occupying military were engaged in direct military threats. 
The same threat is now being carried out by intelligence personalities coming from Colombo in civil suits, the activists further said. 

 

Not a single family has managed to resettle at 60th Mile Post so far. 

 

At the same time, the Sinhalese population increased from 29% to 39%.