4th August 2011/This is the text of a press release issued by the Tamil National Alliance
The TNA has received information that at a meeting held yesterday at Mullaitivu, attended by senior civilian and military officials, the following decisions have been arrived at:
That the Internally Displaced Persons from the villages of Puthumathalan, Mullivaikkal West, Mullivaikkal East, Ambalavanpokkanai, Valaignar Madam and Anandapuram in the Mullaitivu who are presently at the Menik Farm camp at Chettikulam or with host families, largely at Vavuniya are not to be resettled in the land from which they were displaced in their respective villages, and that they are to be resettled in a new area, Kombavil.
The families from these villages are largely engaged in fishing as livelihood and their original places of residence were close to the sea enabling them to carry out their livilihood . Kombavil is said to be 8km from the sea front and these families will not be able to carry on with their livelihood of fishing.
There can be no reasons whatever for these persons not to be settled in their original lands from which they were displaced from the villages refered to above. There must be some sinister reasons for these persons not to be resettled in their original places.
This decision of the Government is also in contravention of the public commitment made by the Government to the displaced people and also to the international community that they will be resettled in their original lands.
The village of Keppapulavu is occupied entirely by the military as a camp and the people of this village too are unable to resettle on their original lands. All these displaced people insist on their being resettled on their original lands.
The Tamil National Alliance calls upon the Government to reverse it’s decision to resettle these persons at Kombavil and urges the Government to ensure that the people are resettled on their original lands in the villages to which they belong.
The only reason the Government gave thus far for the delay in resettling these people was that these areas had to be de-mined, which perhaps has now been completed or is being completed. The Government should abide by it’s earlier commitment and should not compel these people to resettle in an area which would deprive them of their livelihood.