Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

Sri Lankan army builds tennis court at occupying Mullaitivu base

Despite continued calls for the de-militarisation of the North-East, Sri Lankan military constructed a new tennis court exclusively for the use of its soldiers inside its military headquarters in Mullaitivu last month.

Mullaitivu, one of the most heavily militarised districts in the North-East, has as many as one soldier for every two civilians, according to a report released last year. Tamils have been calling on the government to de-militarise the region, where the military continues to occupy vast swathes of private land.

Yet, last month, the military announced that instead of demilitarising the region, it had constructed a tennis court, “which remained a need for residents and under command formations” according to an official military website.

At a military ceremony to declare open the court, soldiers from the 18 Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment (VIR) and 14 Sri Lanka Artillery (SLA) played matches.

 

 

 

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.