The Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I second the Adjournment Motion moved by Hon. Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam. The Gazette issued on 28 March is a measure to seize Tamil lands. I raised in the morning with Hon. Minister K.D. Lal Kantha specific locations—Ambalavanpokkanai in Mullaitivu, Valayanmadam, Iyakkachchi, Kovilvayal in Jaffna District, and in Kilinochchi West: Nithiyavetty, Pillaiyarkovilady, Kattaikadu, Vetrilaikkenni, Pullaveli, Mulliyavalai, Maruthankerny, Mulliyan, Pokkaruppu, Mandalai—villages where lands are being taken or diverted to other purposes under this Gazette.

¶ 02 Yesterday’s Veerakesari carried “Gazette on Northern lands suspended.” But today the Minister said it has not been suspended. If you issued a Gazette, suspend it by another Gazette first; then discuss. As Hon. Ponnambalam said, you should have spoken with Tamil representatives of the North and East. The land issue is the foundation of our ethnic conflict, dating back to atrocities such as the 1954 Allaikantalai massacre of 154 Tamil farmers. In 1990, during the LTTE’s “Sea Tiger” operations, the army landed through Pullaveli, Kattaikadu, Vetrilaikkenni. Since then large swathes have been under military control—3,000 acres in Palaly–Valikamam North remain with the military. People lack documents; many heads of households died; entire families perished.

¶ 03 Authorities earlier collected permits and Swarnabhoomi/ Urumaya papers promising regular titles, but Divisional Secretariats have been inactive. Now, with people documentless, issuing Gazettes to absorb these lands is daylight robbery and thrusting a spear into a festering wound. If you truly seek peace and brotherhood, first withdraw this Gazette; then we can discuss a proper path. That is the first solution.