The Maritimepattu Pradeshiya Sabha in Mullaitivu has ordered the Sri Lankan military to close a beauty salon it operates in Keppapilavu, after local residents complained that the business was undermining the livelihoods of war-affected Tamil civilians.
Council Chairman Chinnarasa Logeswaran said the decision followed several public complaints about the “Blue Bells Salon,” which is run by the Sri Lankan army on land belonging to the Forest Department in the Maritimepattu Divisional Secretariat area.
Logeswaran condemned the occupying army’s ongoing and intrusive involvement in civilian commercial ventures across the Tamil homeland, stating that such activities “cause significant harm to the local economy and the daily lives of Tamil residents.”
He said the council had formally instructed the military to cease operating the salon and warned that legal action would be taken if the order was ignored.
Representing the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), Logeswaran also reiterated that the military’s presence in civilian life continues to deprive Tamils of recovery opportunities following the end of the armed conflict in 2009.
The Sri Lankan army has long used its vast occupation of Tamil lands to establish a range of profit-making businesses, including farms, hotels, shops, and restaurants, many of which compete directly and undermine local livelihoods.
Despite repeated calls from Tamil politicians and rights groups for demilitarisation, large areas of Mullaitivu and other parts of the North-East remain under military control more than sixteen years after the Mullivaikkal genocide.
