The Mahaweli Authority has issued land permits to 8 Sinhalese settlers that have been squatting on Tamil-owned land in Mullaitivu, defying a court order to return the lands to their original owners.
Sinhalese settlers and fishermen occupied Tamil-owned lands in Kokkilai, Karunadukkeni and Kokuthoduvai after the residents were forced to displace in 1983. The settlers built permanent houses and continued to occupy the lands after the war, requesting the Sri Lankan state to issue deeds in their names.
Tamil landowners filed a case at the Mullaitivu Magistrate Court via the Karaithuraipatru (Maritimepattu) Divisional Secretariat in February 2007. In January 2018, the court ordered the settlers to vacate the lands and return them to their owners.
However the Mahaweli Authority has issued land permits for Tamil-owned land to 8 of the settlers, angering locals and the affected landowners who said the move made a mockery of the laws of the land.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
