The military which razed schools and churches in Vali North
The Valli North people have accused the army of destroying and razing to ground several schools and churches which were located within the HSZ of the Valli North and that, they have put up at least one tourist resort and operating it on these lands.
The people of Vali North had indicated this in a letter they have written to California-based think tank Oakland Institute, requesting their help in returning to their own lands.
Written last February, this letter has been included in a research report under the title of, “Waiting to return home: Continued Plight of the IDPs in Post- War Sri Lanka”, published today, Tuesday, by Oakland Organization
People have expressed fears in this letter that, the lands that had not been released may had been earmarked for building such recreational hotels.
The full text of the letter is available below:
02.02.2016
Ms. Anuradha Mittal
Executive Director
Oakland Institute
Re: Acquisition of civilian land by the Armed Forces of Sri Lanka against the will of the people in northern Sri Lanka
Having exhausted all the domestic political and legal avenues available to us to regain our lands and houses acquired by force by the Sri Lankan armed forces during the war, we the people of Valikamam North in the Jaffna District of Sri Lanka living in the Grama Niladari divisions of K.K.S West, K.K.S Centre, K.K.S South, Thenmylai, Thaiyiddy East, Thaiyiddy North, Thaiyiddy South, Myliddy North, Myliddithurai North, Myliddithurai South, Palaly North, Palaly west, Palaly northwest,Palaly East and Palaly South, have decided to seek your help to find redress to our problem. . . .
We, the people of Valikamam North strongly believe that the Armed Forces of Sri Lanka, and therefore the government of Sri Lanka, are in violation of International Law in acquiring our lands and houses by force.
During the war, wanting to establish a High Security Zone around its main airbase, in 1990 the Sri Lankan Security Force forcefully evicted us from our lands and houses. From then, to date even 6 years after the end of the war, we are living in 32 welfare centers in Valikamam North or staying with our relatives elsewhere.
Contrary to what the Srilankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa promised in his post-war speeches that the lands and houses of civilians would be given back to them sans the lost lives of their kith and kin, to what the powerful Minister for Economic Development and President’s own brother Basil Rajapaksa noted in May 2011 that “We do not want HSZ in the country any further as we have no enemies among ourselves. The entire country is now under a single peace zone,” and to what the Jaffna Security Force’s Commander Mahintha Hathurusinga told the technical mission of Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) which visited Sri Lanka in September 2012 that “we (the Army) have no plan of acquiring civilians’ lands to establish military camps in Jaffna. Army has already earmarked government lands for that purpose,” two notices dated 18th and 27th of April 2013 were issued to acquire 6381 acres 38.91 perches of land in Valikamam North. The notice also stated that the purpose for this acquisition was to formally vesting the land where Defence Battalion Headquarters ( Jaffna) High Security Zone is located now. The notice further stated that claimants for the land could not be traced.
Several schools and churches in this area have been already bulldozed to the ground and at least one holiday resort has been already built in this area owned and operated now by the Security Forces. We strongly believe that most of our land has been already earmarked for similar development purposes.
As we write this, news from reports say that many houses which were occupied by the security forces during the war in the Valikamam North are being demolished in a hurry by the security forces, allegedly to beat any court decision against acquisition of these lands. A Tamil parliamentarian and two Northern provincial Council members39 who went to verify the allegation that the demolition of houses is taking place were chased out by the Security Forces at gun point.
25 years of displaced life not only made psychical and mental affects but also lost of economy, culture and human values as well.
We have organized ourselves, to fight and win our rights to repossess our land as stated in International, Regional, and UN conventions and laws. Therefore we humbly request you to use your good office to assist us in our struggle for our Rights.
Yours truly,
XXXXXXXX
