Tamil farmers lose title-deed lands to Sinhala colonisers in Mullaiththeevu

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 June 2013, 23:49 GMT]
The occupying Sri Lankan military has appropriated more than one hundred acres of paddy lands owned by Tamil farmers at Koozhaa-mu’rippu in Vedi-vaiththa-kal area of Nedungkea’ni DS division in the Mullaiththeevu district for Sinhalese being brought from the South by the Colombo government. 

Vedi-vaiththa-kall is traditionally a Tamil agricultural village. 

The Tamil farmers had been doing paddy cultivation till they were uprooted from the village. 

They possess title deeds for about sixty acres and land development department permits for about forty acres. 

Earlier, irrigation facilities had been provided to these lands from Koozhaa-mu'rippuk-ku'lam. 

But, after the occupation of the country of Eezham Tamils, the ‘development’ promised by Colombo didn't reach them. 

Even after their resettlement, they were not in the position of cultivating their lands due to the breach in the dam of the tank. 

The Tamil farmers, who went to the their paddy fields last week to do preparation for the coming season saw Sinhalese persons from the south repairing the breached dam and clearing the paddy fields of Tamils for cultivation. 

Vanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr.Sivaskathi Aanandan told media that Tamil farmers have approached their elected representatives and SL authorities concerned to allow them to do cultivation in their lands and to take action against those who have encroached.
Sri Lanka to eradicate malaria by 2014

Dilrukshi Handunnetti-2013-06-04

Incidence of malaria in Sri Lanka has recorded a sharp decline since 1999, without any indigenous deaths being reported since 2008.

Researchers have identified Sri Lanka as a 'low endemic country,' asserting that the initiatives taken over a period of two decades to eradicate malaria in the island, have proved successful.

According to a scientific paper published last year in an open-access journal, Public Library of Science One (PLoS One), last year researchers have lauded Sri Lanka's status, according it 'low endemic' status.

It states, during 1999–2011, Sri Lanka achieved 99.9% reduction in infections, attributing the success to measures such as indoor residual spraying and the government-supported distribution of insecticide-treated nets.

However, researchers have noted that a substantial increase in the proportion of malaria cases in adult males, a trend linked to the higher level of exposure to infected vectors, by persons working in gem pits and remote jungle areas, without adequate access to immediate medical treatment or preventive measures. Director, Anti-Malaria Campaign, Dr. S.L. Deniyage, said the country is poised to achieve malaria eradication by late 2014.

He said, the main threat of infections to Sri Lanka is from persons travelling abroad to places like the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu as well as countries such as Haiti, Liberia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan and Uganda. Sri Lanka's success, Dr. Deniyage said, was due to a "strong, passive case detection system with enough focus on malaria diagnosis and treatment. In addition, there are sound vector control and well-maintained surveillance measures."

Sri Lanka moved from high endemicity in 2004 to controlled, low endemic transmission in 2009, with one of the worst affected districts, Anuradhapura, recording a reduction of 48% in expenditure on malaria control.

From 1995-1999, there had been an increase in confirmed infections of the neglected disease from 142,294 to 264,549 cases. In early 2000, it began to decline steadily, so that in 2011, there were only 175 confirmed cases, of which 124 were indigenous.

Similarly, malaria-related mortality has declined. In 2009 and 2011, there was one death in each year, both imported cases from Nigeria, the researchers claimed.

Country Representative of the World Health Organization, Firdosi Rustom Mehta, said Sri Lanka's success was "due to a combination of many factors but primarily due to the sustained work done in malaria control."

Director General of Health Services, Dr. U.A. Mendis, attributed Sri Lanka's malaria eradication progress to State initiatives that ensured better access to public health facilities and to sustained anti-malaria interventions. "It is a commendable achievement but pockets of high transmission are being recorded at intervals. We need to stay focused on that," he said.