Wilpattu: Environmentalists Prostitute With Extremists

By Hilmy Ahamed –May 11, 2015

Hilmy Ahamed

The assault on the innocent Muslim “Forgotten People” of the Northern Province continues unabated. The media, the Janatha Vimukthu Peramuna (JVP) and the most popular politician in saffron robes, Battaramulle Seelarathana thero of SIRASA and Janasetha peramuna fame have joined the bandwagon of racism. The Environment Conservation Trust Director Sajeewa Chamikara has confirmed in interviews that these returning Muslim IDPs have not encroached in to Wilpattu National Reserve, but have settled in reserves demarcated by the forest department. This is quite a different song from the previous charge of destroying the Wilpattu National park for future generations. Yes, the forest department will certainly have claims to these lands because they were abandoned for 25 years since the eviction of Muslims from their lands and there certainly would be obvious jungle growth. The Government agent and other state officials from the area have confirmed that there has been no land grab from unallocated land and all resettlement processes were undertaken with state approval. There have been claims that these public servants have been forced to make these statements by Minister Bathiudeen. They should now have learnt their lessons if they are lying because even respected public servants in the caliber of Lilith Weeratunga are facing probable jail terms for breaking the law and dancing to the tune of his masters. The JVP’s firebrand Lal Kantha

confirmed from the location that as per the information they have received and witnessed, there is no transgressions by the Muslim IDPs. Questions have been raised by the JVP as to the number of returning IDPs. It is quite obvious that the numbers would not be the same after 25 years of displacement as families have naturally expanded.

There seems to be no doubt that these environmentalists and others with political ambitions have swallowed the bitter pill of racism that has been dispensed by the Bodu Bala Sena and other extremist Buddhist groups. They fail to realize that Mahinda Rajapaksa was sent home because of his nexus with racists. Further, none of these patriots and environmentalists has taken up the complaints made by the Tamils and Muslims of the blatant colonization of these areas with Sinhalese from other districts. Residents from the area claim that the following numbers of Sinhalese from Hambantota district and families of military personnel have been settled in the former war affected areas since the end of the war in 2009.

1 Veratenna – 520 families
2. Bogaswewa 1- 500 families
3. Bogaswewa 2 – 560 families
4. Namalgama – 470 families
5. Senaleenigama – 450 families
6. Nandamitragama – 360 families

These 2860 resettled families have been provided with thousands of acres of land. Their lands have been cleared for resettlement, grants and allowances disbursed, and all other facilities including schooling have been provided by the state. From where did the land for these settlers come? No one talks about the jungle and reservations that have been cleared for this purpose.

While one should encourage co-existence with mixed populations in all parts of the country, these colonization schemes should not be undertaken at the expense of other communities who have traditionally been living in these lands.                                      Read More