TNA Uses Kadir Land Case To Address Northern Land Grab
August 9, 2013 |
Using the Lakshman Kadirgamar land acquisition case to highlight the ongoing Government land grab in the north, the Tamil National Alliance brought the issue up before Parliament yesterday.
TNA Leader R. Sampanthan slammed the Government’s ongoing forcible acquisition of land belonging to Northern Tamils, claiming it was part of a greater design to alter the demographic in the predominantly Tamil area.
Sampanthan
According to the TNA Leader, the Government was forcibly keeping some 25,000 rightful owners of 6381 acres of land in Valikamam in the Northern Province. Many of them have now sought legal action against these moves by the Government, Sampanthan said.
“Even the late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar’s son is one of the petitioners filing action against the forceful acquisition of his private property,” he told the House.
Sampanthan said that four years after the war ended, high security zones still remain in the Jaffna peninsular. “Many Northern families are unable to return to their land and resettle because of this involvement by the Government,” he claimed.
The TNA Leader said the move indicated a greater design to alter the cultural and linguistic identity of the North and East and to change the demographic composition.
“It points to the Government pursuing a secret agenda, that would ensure that there is no need for a political resolution to the ethnic struggle that will lead to genuine reconciliation,” the TNA Leader told Parliament. Read More
My Reminiscences Of St. John’s College, Jaffna
S.Sivathasan
A College celebrating her 190th Anniversary
To have studied at St. John’s and particularly in the fifties, may now be deemed a privilege and a rare one indeed. For the students of those years there was behind them a proud history of a hundred and twenty five years, a cherished heritage. It was in 1948 that the Anniversary was celebrated in a way that left indelible memories. I yet have a vivid recollection of all events of the three day celebrations organized with efficiency worthy of a great College. To match her history was a wealth of traditions built over the years.
For a school to earn a name and to spread her fame the quality of the teachers counts for much. Perhaps the single factor with the highest leverage. Successive Principals had displayed a remarkable capability in identifying talent and teaching ability in the selection of staff members. During my time most of the senior teachers came from the selection of Rev. Henry Peto, Principal from 1920 to 1940. He was liked and respected by staff and students alike and is said to have enforced strict discipline. Seeking to emulate the Principal were the teachers. Venturing to follow their high standards and moving in step was the student community. In the student body itself, in dress, deportment and character the seniors set the pace for the impressionable young. The final product displayed a polish, making them stand out distinctively. Academic performance seen through the prism of results at public exams and inter school competitions, enhanced further the image of the College. Read More
