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Allow immediate resettlement else will breach barriers and resettle- warning by the organisation of

These sentiments of caution were expressed by Mr. K.Ganesh President of the Valigamam north displaced peasants welfare organisation. In a press meet held at Ramanathan College, Mr. Ganesh further said that several thousands of peasants, mostly farmers, have been languishing in refugee camps because they were forcibly evicted from their natural habitats in Valigamam north. These farmer families were driven away by the occuping Sri Lankan military nearly two decads ago and their farmlands and dwellings are now inaccessible to them due to the classification of the entire area as "High Security Zone" for the military.

Adding further, Mr. Ganesh said that these families have been living in small huts in the welfare centers and refugee camps under squalid conditions. They do not have toilet and drinking water facilities and are undergoing untold hardship for a long period of time. Heads of families, having lost their livelihood, are unable to maintain their family units with a semblance of dignity. Youths of marriageable age are idling due to unemployment and the opportunity to settle in their lives. Most of the children of these families don't attend school because of poverty malnutrition and ailments due to insanitary conditions of life. A society that prided itself on traditional values of human life, is in complete disarray, having lost its values and dignity.

Mr. Ganesh expressed grave concern and reservation about the omnipresence of more than fifty NGOs in the Jaffna peninsula while at the same time a sizeable population is being denied access to their homes which alone will provide them a decent living. Many of the NGOs, he lamented, are only intrested in getting funds from donors abroad but do not ensure that these funds are gainfully utilized towards the welfare of these unfortunate people. These NGOs, both national and International, have a moral obligation to arrange the resettlement of these peasants. If such initiatives are not forthcoming, we will boycott even the meagre relief assistance provided by them in future said an emotional Mr.Ganesh. Even the funds that are already allocated for resettlement reconstruction and rehabilitation appear to have been fraudulently misappropriated some top government officials and this is distressing Mr.Ganesh noted. This he said is pointer to the fact that an effective interim administration as clamed by the LTTE should be instituted to avoid such abuse and misuse of money mend for the displaced civilians.

When the government and the LTTE signed the Ceasefire Agreement, we saw light at the end of the tunnel, for it provided for the alliviation of hardships caused by the war and bring about 'normalcy'. Having promissed 'normalcy' within one hundred and sixty days, the govt and the military are adamantly refusing to free our natural habitats for resettlement under the guise of a 'High Security Zone". For whom is the security, the peasants are asking. The government that has made the best use of the Ceasefire Agreement to resettle the Sinhala settlers in places like Galloya, Trincomalee, Kokkilai etc., is looking the other side when it comes to the legitimate claims of the Tamil peasantry who owned their lands traditionaly unlike the Sinhala settlers who were patronised by planned state-aided colonisation, changing the demography of the Tamil homeland, said Mr.Ganesh.

Continuing further, Mr.Ganesh said that it is absurd to speak about normalcy in paper whereas legitimate owners of the farmlands are still being denied access to their soil though more than eighteen months have passed since the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement which promised inter alia normalcy within one hundred and sixty days.

Touching on more serious politics, Mr. Ganesh opined that it is only under an interin adminisrative arrangement empowering the LTTE to look after the needs of the people, that the displaced Tamil peasantry can hope to see normalcy in their lives. If this does not happen soon, we are afraid, that we may have to arm ourselves and join hands with our freedom fighters to win back our denied rights said Mr.Ganesh with a tone tinged with resolute determination.

16 September 2003

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