KAMALIKA PIERIS

Tamil Separatist Movement was highly critical of the state colonization schemes of the 1950s. They were not in the least interested in the development aspect of the schemes, only on   the impact of Sinhala settlements on their precious Eelam.

Tamil Separatist Movement charged that the colonization schemes, from the very beginning, were intended to Sinhalise the north and east, not develop the country. Ever since independence it has been the policy of both the UNP and the SLFP to undertake state aided Sinhala colonization schemes with the sole aim of altering the demographic profile of Northeast, said V. Thangavelu. [1]

 Irrigation schemes such as Allai, Kantale and others in 1950s and 60s saw old tanks restored, new tanks constructed, and forests cleared to give land to landless peasants. These became instruments used for Sinhalisation of the district, said Oakland Institute, repeating what it was told.[2]

The objective of the government   is to break the continuity between the Northern and Eastern Provinces. . That is why the Padaviya and Allai schemes were started on the northern and southern sides of their districts observed   UTHR.[3]

 There was a  substantial increase of Sinhalese population in Tamil districts, especially in the Eastern Province,  due to the aggressive policy of settling thousands of Sinhalese in Tamil districts by the government, said C. Manogaran.[4]

It is estimated that almost a quarter of the island’s population was moved from the Wet Zone to the Dry Zone between 1946 and 1971, under peasant colonization schemes. These colonization schemes drastically altered the ethnic composition of Tamil provinces, Manogaran continued.

Comparison of the ethnic composition of the administrative districts for the census years 1881 and 1981 indicates that, Sinhalese population had increased substantially in the Ampara, Trincomalee, and Vavuniya districts. In the Amparai District, Sinhalese population increased from 7.0% to 38%, while the Tamil population declined from 37.0% to 20.0% between 1911 and 1981, said Manogaran

The rise in Sinhalese population between 1953 & 1963 was due mainly to the Allai and Kantale schemes and from 1963-1971 to Morawewa scheme. Padavi Siripura brought in a further 14, OOO in 1981.

The Kantale and Morawewa schemes become dangerous during periods of ethnic tension. They are located on the Trincomalee – Vavuniya and Trincomalee -Kandy roads. The Allai and the Padaviya schemes   cause problems on the Trincomalee-Batticaloa and Trincomalee – Mullaitivu roads said UTHR.

Kantale was a Village Headman’s division in Thampalaka­mam AGA’s division, in the early 190O’s. The Kantale tank irrigated the paddy fields belonging to the Thampalakam­am and Kinniya farmers, said UTHR. Farmers who had worked the land for more than 30 years and cultivated about 4,000 acres of paddy were chased away without compensation, and their lands were awarded to the Sinhalese in 1954, said Oakland institute.

It is estimated that about 40,000 of the present Sinhalese population of 86,000 in the district came in as a result of the Kantale colonization scheme. The intake was 77% Sinhalese and 23% Thamil speaking. After colonization, Kantale became a separate AGA’s division with 23 Grama Sevaka divisions, said   UTHR.

The Allai Scheme began by constructing an amicus across the Verugal river, a tributary of the Mahaweli Ganga. Under Allai colonization scheme 65% of the allotments were given to Sinhalese, 35% to Muslims and Thamils none, said V Thangavelu. Thangavelu was working in Trincomalee Kachcheri (1957-59) during this time.

 The Koddiyar AGAs division to which Allai belonged was replaced by three divisions, Muthur, Seruvila, and a Verugal AGA’s division. Seruvila was created in the late 196O‘s and Verugal division centered on Ichchilampattai was created in the mid 198O’s.

Names were changed. Serunuvara was originally Arippu. Kallar is Somapura today. Neelapalai is now Neelapola. A part of Poonagar is called Mahindapura and Thirumangalai is now Srimangalagama.

Seruvila AGA division contained new Sinhala villages such as Dehiwatte, Lankapatuna and Pulasthigama. This division has a population of 20,187 with 17 Grama Sevaka officers divisions. 99% of the 11,665 Sinhalese living in this division were brought from the south by the government, said Thangavelu.

The restoration of Padaviya tank led to the creation of Padaviya, Padavi Parakramapura and Padavi Sripura colonization schemes. Padavi SIripura, located in Trincomalee district had a population of 11,804, almost all of them Sinhalese said UTHR in 1993.

 Padaviya colonization   scheme extended into Trincomalee but was administered by Anuradhapura. Land which came under Trincomalee districts was also given to the Sinhalese said Oakland Institute .

Padaviya scheme played a key role in the 1958 riots and the activities of the Land Development Department employees during the riots has been vividly described in the book Emergency ‘58 by Tarzie Vittachi.

Morawewa is the Sinhalese translation of the Tamil word Mudalikulam, said UTHR.  Morawewa tank was earlier under Katukulampattu East, which included the present Kuchaveli division.  In 1961 a colonization scheme was started at Morawewa tank, 24 km west of the Trincomalee town. This scheme included Tamils as beneficiaries, said UTHR. Allotments were made on a proportionate basis, confirmed Thangavelu, but subsequent violence directed against Thamil settlers on a regular basis by Sinhalese forced many Thamils to evacuate.

A new AGA’s division was created in the early 1970s for Morawewa.  Morawewa AGA’s Division has a population of 9271 and 10 Grama Sevaka officers divisions. The Sinhalese constitute 56% of the total population while the Tamils constitute 37%. A considerable percentage of the present population of 5101 Sinhalese in the Morawewa are outsiders, said UTHR in 1992.

In the late 60s the government started an Air Force farm near the headworks at Morawewa. Tamils became subject to small scale attacks by air force men and Sinhalese hooligans. The largest number of killings of Tamils took place along the Anuradhapura Road and the matter was raised in Parliament. This was the first instance in the island of the forces being stationed permanently in the middle of an agricultural scheme. The proportion of Tamils kept falling, said UTHR. With the violence of the 8Os the gradual displacement of Thamils became a total retreat said Thangavelu.

In the 1980s, the Mahadiulwewa colonisation scheme was begun in the Morawewa AGA’s Division. More Sinhalese were brought in under this scheme and their proportion rose to 56%, said UTHR.

The Mahadiulwewa project was historic because it was decided that settlement should reflect the ethnic ratio in the district where the project was located. [5]  This was the first time such a policy had been enunciated. A land Kachcheri was held, the selection made and the selected allottees informed. Most were landless chena cultivators, who had been living in the project area for a long time.

Then an objection was raised by MP for Trincomalee that   persons from Trincomalee should also have been selected. However, the selection already made could not be altered for legal reasons. It was suggested that the blocking out plan could be redrawn to increase the number of allotments by reducing the area allocated to an allotment. 

Gamini Dissanayake, Minster for Mahaweli, accompanied by   NGP Panditeratne and Gamini Iriyagolle, came to investigate. Amirthalingam and Sampanthan were present. I also participated at this unprecedented meeting, said Jayatissa Bandaragoda. It was agreed that applicants from Trincomalee should also be interviewed and selected and the final list should reflect the district’s ethnic ratio. The plan would be redrawn to include more allotments by reducing the extent of land per allotment   (Continued)

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[1] V Thangavelu https://tamilnation.co/forum/thangavelu/chauvinism.htm .

[2] https://www.oaklandinstitute.org/sites/oaklandinstitute.org/files/OI_The_Long_Shadow_of_War_0.pdf

[3] https://www.uthr.org/Reports/Report11/appendix2.htm 1992 april

[4]  C Manogaran https://sangam.org/sinhalese-settlements-and-forced-evictions-of-tamils-in-the-north-east-province/

[5]  Jayatissa Bandaragoda, Path of destiny  (Godage 2011)  p 161