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Eelam Tamil residents of Parangikamam, Iluppai Kadavai, and Antoniyar Puram, villages in Manthai West, Mannar, held a protest march towards the Land Reforms Commission demanding that the commission take measures to prevent land grab by foreigners, illegal Sinhala settlers, and the Sri Lankan security forces.
Tamils in Antoniyar Puram who had been engaged in farming for more than 30 years close to the Chola Mandalam tank in Manthai were told that 2 acres would be given to each person to carry out their agricultural activities. Although the residents have been engaged in farming, they have been doing so with no legal documentation to prove their ownership.
To their surprise, the residents came to know that an individual was making arrangements to sell portions of the land to those living in Vavuniya and Colombo.
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Eelam Tamils held a protest against the decision by the Land Reforms Commission to accept money and give land free of charge to outsiders who have no claim.
“There is no justice for the poor people in this country,” the protestors charged. They also demanded to know if government officers were accepting bribes to aid in the transfer of land. “Are the Tamil politicians in deep slumber?” they queried. The protestors also handed over a letter in writing stating their grievances and mentioned that they would write to Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe for his intervention.
These residents have been complaining since 2021 that swathes of forest near their area were being illegally deforested by the Sri Lankan government and that their land has become appropriated by private persons and foreigners.
More on that here.
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