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| Photograph www.sundaytimes.lk |
Escorted by Sri Lankan military commander for the Eastern province, Major Gen. Lal Perara and the Commander of the 22nd Division, Brig. Dharshana Hettiaarachchi, the leader of the TNA, Sampanthan, reviewed the proposed Sampur coal power project on Thursday.
The proposed project, a joint venture by the governments of Sri Lanka and India, will include the arbitary aquisition of private lands belonging to Tamils who have been refused the right of return and effectively forced into indefinite displacement.
Less than a fortnight ago, the displaced families, living in temporary shelters, were battered by heavy rains and gale force winds.
Civil society groups have condemned the project as enviromentally destructive due to the devastating impact of mercury leakage into the local ecosystem and the wider impact on global warming.
Thursday was Sampanthan's first visit to Sampur since the end of the armed conflict.
Earlier this year, attempting to protest against the displacement of Tamil families, Sampanthan - elected chief advocate of the rights of Tamil nation in the North-East - said,
“There is a sacred Hindu temple in this area. It is Badrakali Amman Kovil. I used to go there as a little boy at that time. There is a powerful deity there. Please keep that in mind.”
