Human Rights Commission Is Inactive: Villagers Of Panama Protest Land Grabbing
March 13, 2014
The People of Panama villages, in the Ampara District including Shasthrawela, Ragamwela, Ulla, Ulpassa and Ragamwela will demonstrate their condemnation of the inaction of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Sri Lanka, in defending their Right to Land and Livelihood tomorrow.
The villagers will protest against the inaction of NHRC in implementing its own recommendations on behalf of the villagers of Panama, outlawing the grabbing of land, torching of houses, and violent physical attack of villagers in 2010, has now resulted in hundreds of families being destitute – Landless, Homeless, and deprived of their livelihoods.
The villagers continue to oppose the World Bank (WB) – Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) joint commissioning of the ‘Arugam Bay Special Tourism Promotion Zone’ in their area, a press release about the demonstration said.
The villagers have organized themselves as the Panam-Paththuwa Surekeeme Sangvidhanaya (Organization for the Protection of Panam-Paththuwa) and will demonstrate in front of the Head Office of the National Human Rights Commission – No.165, Kynsey Road, Borella, Colombo 08., on 14 MARCH 2014 at 10:00 a.m. The people will hold posters and banners expressing their grievances and suffering to condemn the injustice.
