The Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan
Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan raised concerns about displaced Tamil families, citing expulsions from Anuradhapura, the hill country, and other areas, and argued that resettlement still requires government approval. He called for Tamils from Anuradhapura, Trincomalee, Ampara, and estate communities to be allowed to return to their lands, including the Kanagaratnam community in Trincomalee, describing such resettlement as a democratic requirement.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, please grant me one minute. This is dangerous. Between 1970 and 1985, 22,000 Tamil families were expelled overnight from Anuradhapura. In 1983, 2,000 families were chased out from the hill country. Even to allow them to resettle, government approval is needed. In Negombo, Tamils were later recorded as Sinhalese; originally, they were living as Tamils. For example, take “Fernando Pulle.” He may not know Tamil now, but his lineage is Tamil.
¶ 02 Just as some from the south now ask for land in Jaffna, immediately allow Tamils from Anuradhapura, Trincomalee, Ampara, and estates to resettle back in their lands. In Trincomalee, resettle the Kanagaratnam community in places taken from them. That would be true democracy. I conclude.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Thursday, 9 January 2025 ·No. 1738229262040729 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 9 January 2025. No. 1738229262040729. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/23779