‘Sinhalese IDPs’ Seek Land In The North
By Abdul H. Azeez
Over 80 ‘Sinhala’ families claiming to have lost their land during the war have returned to Jaffna asking for their land. The families in question have taken refuge in a railway station.
Upon further investigation, it became apparent that these families were actually mostly of mixed ethnicity. “There are attempts in some circles to make this look like a communal issue. Some parties have also come out with allegations of ‘colonial’ drives to populate the North with Sinhala people. But what most people should know is that these families are mostly of mixed race,” said Imelda Sukumar the Government Agent (GA) for Jaffna.
According to Sukumar the families in question were mostly renters in Jaffna from the years ‘80-’83. ‘They were engaged in business and the families were formed when the Sinhala people intermarried with the Tamils’.
The families were relocated to ‘areas in and around Anuradhapura and Mihintale’ during the ’83 troubles. ‘They have faced many difficulties living in those areas perhaps because they were from mixed families.’
Around 100 families arrived in Jaffna and 80 now remain. The GA has started to issue Rs 1000 per month per family for food every month for the next three months, on the instructions of the Ministry of Resettlement. ‘This quantity is obviously not enough, so I have written for more funds. I am also looking at better ways at housing them.’
When asked if the people in question have valid claims to land, Sukumar replied in the negative. ‘These people have birth certificates and identity cards proving that they used to live here, but they have no valid land claims.’
‘Currently, huge logistical problems seem to be preventing the Jaffna GA’s office from successfully executing a solution for these people. These people arrived here out of the blue and we are finding it very hard to come up with a solution for them. Minister Douglas Devananda has turned to us to help them. Ideally they should have approached the problem by first contacting their local GA and then by coming through the Ministry of Resettlement,’ said Sukumar.
The Secretary, Ministry of Resettlement, M.B.S Dissanayake told The Sunday Leader that ‘there are approximately 80 families comprising of 200 people currently in Jaffna. We are yet to determine exactly where they came from. They arrived with no organisation or plan and are still there.’
He went on to add that the district secretariats were handling ‘the problem’ and that the Ministry was ready to provide any support that was needed. However the Ministry did not seem at all aware of the ground level situation prevailing in the railway station in Jaffna and expressed ignorance over questions pertaining to the land deeds, the origin and intention of these people.
