Resettlement of Displaced Sinhala and Muslim People in Northern Province
Posted on July 13th, 2016
The Global Sri Lanka Forum MEDIA RELASE
The Global Sri Lanka Forum, GSLF welcomes the Government’s decision to appoint a task force to implement the program to resettle the Sinhala and Muslim internally displaced persons. It is hoped that the work at task force should commence as early as possible to bring justice to the displaced. However, the GSLF has concerns with regard to the nomination of the Minister Risahd Bathuddin and Faizer Mustapha as the heads of the task force. The Minister Bathuddin has acted in a very high handed manner in creating mono ethnic settlements in illegally cleared Wilpattu and Manner areas and therefore, we are of the view that he is racially biased to handle this important re-settlement task. The Minister Faizer Mustache is presently handling the de-demarcation of the districts and electorates. Hence, his functioning in the re-settlement of the IDP s is a factor which will compromise the objectives of the program. Therefore, we request the Government to consider our request to appoint acceptable personnel including a Minister of Sinhala origin as the task force is set up to re-settle also the the Sinhala IDPs.
Yours Sincerely,
Ranjith Soysa
Media Spokesman
For Global Sri Lankan Forum
July 13th, 2016 at 6:49 pm
As for the Sinhala IDPs, this is a long, long, long overdue step, even to be mentioned that they will be resettled.
All these years priority was given only to, both innocent Tamil civilians and rehabilitated Tamil terrorists, completely ignoring the innocent Sinhala and Muslim families, not involved in terrorist activities, but evicted from their homelands, during the vicious genocide campaign against Sinhalese and Muslims by the Tamil Tigers and their diaspora. Muslims at least had leaders like Batthudin to push the government, but Sinhalese seem to have no one within the Yahapalanaya regime to address their legitimate grievances. Why are JHU leaders like Champika Ranawaka and Ven Ratana thero, enjoying the perks of the ruling party, not coming to the forefront to give a voice to discriminated Sinhala IDPs?
Though Batthudin might be engaged in ‘illegal’ Muslim settlements, we must accept the fact, he is brave enough to look after his community, unlike the so called Sinhala leaders within the Yahapalanaya, who are silent for some reason, not known to us.
July 13th, 2016 at 8:43 pm
I take a different view considering bitter practicalities since 2010.
Both Mahinda and Sirisena (and all future presidents) avoid pockets of Sinhala settlements in the north and east that are surrounded by large Tamil or Muslim communities. They don’t even go to a temple in those places. Keviliyamaduwa Sinhala people were totally disregarded by both. Many former threatened villages in Polonnaruwa District were totally disregarded by Mahinda after war causing a massive shift to Sirisena. It happened not because Sirisena is from Polonnaruwa.
As long as executive presidency stays, this trend will not change. Voters of certain ethnically exclusive parties are racists. They simply don’t tolerate other ethnicities. To understand their mentality, please consider the plight of Hindus in Pakistan and Muslims in India in 1947. Same actors in the north and east.
The plight of Sinhala people in Vavuniya district was brought to light. Their plight worsened after Sirisena. However, the government recently re-demarcated their villages into Anuradhapura District. This will turn Vanni almost 100% Tamil and Muslim only from may be 98% now. However, this will benefit the Sinhala people who have been suffering without end.
Similarly, district (and therefore) provincial boundaries must be changed to protect vulnerable people. Given the fact that the Northern cancer is spreading to the East, Sinhala majority areas in the East must be carved out and amalgamated into adjoining districts.
Otherwise what will happen is neglected Sinhala people in the north and east will either perish or leave those areas as they are severely discriminated against. We simply cannot hope they will hold the fort with the type of provincial councils we have in the north and east. The land they are in will not go to the north and east. However, TNA and SLMC will protest against this as their potential land mass in the north and east reduces. Under circumstances, that is the best to do.
A plan for Trincomalee is needed. It cannot be controlled by an entity with a South Indian majority as now.
July 14th, 2016 at 2:26 am
In this eelam war of 26 years, over 65,000 Sinhala people and over 75,000 Muslim people were ethnically cleansed from the Northern province. I am sure they also suffered from PTSD due to this and having to live in temporary accommodation for over twenty six years. Also what about the over 360,000 Sinhala people in the East, over 560,000 Muslim people in the East and the over 1.2 million mainly Sinhala people in the North Central Province who had to live in fear being attacked by the LTTE terrorists due to they living in what were called threatened villagers. Over 6,000 mainly Sinhala civilians were massacred by the LTTE terrorists by these attacks as well as bombings. What about all the people in the entire country who had to live in fear of the LTTE terrorists suicide bombings, large scale bomb attacks in Colombo, attacks in installations like the Katunayake airport, the Colombo world trade centre, oil storage facilities to name a few? The LTTE also attacked civilians using claymore mines and IED devices set up along road roadsides which also affected civilians, especially ISnhala civilians in the East and the North Central Province. So all these civilians would have also suffered from PTSD. What about the over 35,000 of the Sri Lankan Forces, Police Force members, Civil Defence Force members who were killed by the LTTE terrorists? What about the over ten thousand Sri Lanka Forces members who are disabled? All of them too must be suffering from PTSD. So this doctor should write about all these victims too not just LTTErs and some Tamil people in the North only. Actually the entire country must be suffering from PTSD to one degree or another due to the LTTE terrorist activities and war. The doctor should also write about these victims too.
July 14th, 2016 at 2:28 am
Sri Lanka needs a strong central government in the form of the executive presidency. It is the executive presidency which is keeping the unitary state together since provincial councils have now been provided powers. Therefore if the executive presidency is abolished, the provincial councils will become more powerful and the separatist terroristic TNA will try to break away using threats the North and the East. the PR system is the fairest system which means each vote counts. It is a very democratic system. We do not need any changes to the constitution. These changes to the constitution are only suggested to bring on stealthily a federal or a separate state by falsely labelling it as ‘unitary’ to hoodwink the idiotic Sinhala Buddhists. We do not need any changes to the constitution which is what the separatist terrorists of the TNA, US, UK, EU, Norway, Sweden and Canada wants to dismember this country. Also it is the executive presidential system which can easily carry out programmes to develop the country since otherwise there will be endless wranglings within the cabinet and in parliament about what path to follow for development to happen. A well meaning executive president can easily implement a reasonable and suitable programme to take the country forward. Another main reason to keep the executive presidency as it is to counter the separatist threat since a strong executive president can stop any treacherous activities which goes against the independence, freedom, sovereignty, unitary status etc. of the country since the executive president is elected directly by the people’s vote and is answerable to all the people of the country as a result. So for all these reasons, there is no need whatsoever to change the constitution. However the provincial councils should not be given any more powers, there should not be any merger between provinces, ideally the 13th amendment to the constitution should be abolished and there should be a strong central government if Sri Lanka is to move forward as a country and since it is a small country.
July 14th, 2016 at 2:31 am
Not only this, the treacherous Ranil, Sirisena, CBK, Mangala, idiotic UNPers, those INGOs working for thousands of dollars and even the JVP are trying to dismember the country via constitutional changes. We patriotic Sri Lankans should demand a strong central government, no more powers to provincial councils, no merger between provinces, ideally abolition of the 13th amendment to the constitution and absolute safeguarding of the sovereignty of the country.
The army did not commit any war crimes. it is the LTTE who committed war crimes. However, it is high time that Sri Lanka rejected the US imperialists UNHRC resolution and state at the UNHRC to leave Sri Lanka alone to get on with reconciliation as Sri Lanka sees fit.
Actually Sri Lanka today being accused of committing war crimes by the US, UK, EU, Norway, Sweden, Canada, India etc. is very similar to the way Saddam Hussein and Iraq was accused of possessing non existent WMDs. Although Iraq did everything possible to show the US, UK, EU, Norway, Sweden, Canada etc. that it did not possess WMD it was bombed anyway, regime change brought about since Iraq has massive amounts of oil which the US, UK, EU, Norway, Sweden, Canada companies wanted to extract at cheap rates by bringing on a puppet regime. A similar scenario is unfolding in Sri Lanka since Sri Lanka is located at a strategic location, the US wanting to establish a naval/air base at Trincomalee, the US wanting to establish further US army, navy, air force bases in the island, mineral resources, marine resources, control of the Indian ocean sea routes etc. For this, the separatist, terroristic Tamils who are subservient to the US are who the US is favouring to help them with this task. This is why the US favours eelam. All patriotic Sri Lankans should therefore tell the government to withdraw from carrying out the US resolution and to tell the US to leave Sri Lanka alone.
July 14th, 2016 at 2:55 am
Sri Lanka should tell the US that Sri Lanka cannot abide by the UNHRC resolution. The Sri Lankan Army did not commit any war crimes. It is the LTTE terrorists who committed war crimes throughout 26 years of war. No country with an ounce of self respect will place their army in harms way to be tried by a court domestic or hybrid of war crimes the army did not commit in anyway. If individual soldiers committed any crimes, a complaint can be placed in a court of law in Sri Lanka. Why is there a need for special judicial procedures? This government is a puppet of the US, EU, UK, Norway, Sweden, Canada and India and is so subservient to US interests that it is ready to try its own armed forces for crimes that the armed forces did not commit. All the while, the LTTE terrorists who committed war crimes are being shown as totally innocent. Using the ploy of wanting a new constitution which almost all Sri Lankans don’t want, this treacherous government is trying to create a separate state in the guise of a federal state as the TNA separatist terrorists and the US, EU, UK, Norway, Sweden, Canada and India wants. Sri Lanka should tell the US that Sri Lanka cannot abide by the UNHRC resolution. The worst that the US, UK, EU, Sweden, Norway and India can do is impose sanctions on Sri Lanka. So what? Sri Lanka can trade with all the countries of Asia and the rest of the world even if the US, UK, EU, Norway, Sweden and India imposes sanctions. Sri Lanka can grow rice, we have jack fruit, bananas, bread fruit and plenty of water too. So we will not starve just because the US, UK, EU, Sweden, Norway and India imposes sanctions. Also since we can trade with the powerful economies of Asia which includes the Middle East, South East Asia, South Asia, the Far East and Central Asia as well as the rest of the world, actually, we may be OK economically too despite any sanctions imposed by the US, EU, UK, Norway, Sweden, Canada and India. However by avoiding implementing the unjust UNHRC resolution, Sri Lanka will safeguard its independence and freedom which is the most important thing for the next thousands of years as we have safeguarded our independence and freedom for at least the last 2600 years and avoid the creation of a separate state or eelam in the guise of a federal state. So Sri Lanka must very urgently tell the US that we will not abide by the unjust UNHRC resolution but carry out our own domestic process of reconciliation as we see fit. Let the imperialist US impose sanctions. Nothing much will happen to our economy since we can trade with the powerful economies of Asia and the rest of the world instead but Sri Lanka would have preserved its independence and freedom for the next thousands of years and avoid the partition of the country and the creation of a separate state which will be Sri Lanka’s end.
July 14th, 2016 at 12:31 pm
Due to Cold War type politics from the big powers in the world, true and able Lanka leaders from any ethnic group are removed one way or the other.
Dear Lankans, the Brit Empire ‘divide & rule’ prevails !
Lanka’s Location in the Indian Ocean, Ports, & Proximity to INDIA, are factors that have brought misfortune to the nation, over and over again.
However able the leader/s of Lanka, whatever group they are from, they are made to obey certain big powers. Note how the LTTE decimated the UNP leadership …. what powers did the LTTE obey ?
A country cannot flourish when its people are insecure and unhappy ….