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Tamil demonstrators protest land grabs despite intimidation

 The National Fishermen Committee, despite government intimidation, held a protest against the appropriation of Tamil land, today, in front of Jaffna Muniyappar temple.

Hundreds of people gathered with placards and slogans, reading, ‘Resettle us back in our homeland’, ‘Do not invade our land’ ‘Where are our disappeared relatives?’ and ‘Let our fishermen live.’


Speaking at the protest, the Northern Province Agriculture Minister, Ayngaranaesan, stressed,


"The government is using development to conceal the wounds of those affected by the war. The government's development in the North-East does not work towards peace or solve the problems faced by the people. The motive behind the current form of development in the Tamil Areas is to steal our resources and people's hard work."


Crowds gathered despite intimidatory and coercive tactics used by government forces to deter protestors. Sri Lankan intelligence personnel were present at the protest taking videos and photographs of the demonstrators. Further attempts to stop the protest were taken with buses transporting demonstrators from Killinochchi and Mullaitivu  to Jaffna stopped by Sri Lankan military forces.

Sources on the ground told Tamil Guardian that intelligence operatives in Killinochichi and Mullativu had forced themselves into the homes of fisheries society leaders and threatened them.

Reports also suggested that the Valikaamam north Internally Displaced Persons Society (IDP) president and TNA member, Kunapalasingham,  had been escorted by the military around camps to tell the people that their lands would be released for resettlement provided they didn’t protest and ‘behaved.’


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