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Torture chambers, Cannabis, and illegal logging by LTTE

In order to correctly comprehend the latest Sri Lankan Defense website news on Amparai with pictures of “torture chambers”, “cannabis growing”, and illegal logging” a little background is first needed.

The area that the Sri Lankan military recently occupied in Amparai falls within the Thirukovil Assistant Government Agent Division. The area within white-line boundary, except the coast line, was LTTE area at the time of signing the CFA. Within this area are three important irrigation tanks, Kanchikuchcharu, Rufas and Thangavelayuthapuram. Five thousand Tamil families depended on these three tanks for their farming, their main livelihood. Majority of the families, however, lived in GoSL areas and moved into LTTE areas during farming season. About 600 families permanently lived within the LTTE area. During the CFA period 125 permanent material homes were built with World Bank aid for these people in these three villages surrounding these three lakes. However, in recent times, many of these 600 families also moved into GoSL area recently fearing Sri Lankan military assault.

Presently, with the Sri Lankan military occupation of this LTTE area, the livestock and cultivation of the 5000 farming families were destroyed by the military. The families will not be allowed to farm their land anymore. It is worth noting that this Tamil part of Amparai is one of the rich rice producing areas of Tamil Eelam. Such practices by the Sri Lankan military of occupying Tamil land and evicting them has a very long history that needs to be rigorously documented.

Since Karuna group started attacking the LTTE camps from 2004, LTTE needed a prison to keep the captured Karuna cadres. The “torture chambers” depicted in the Sri Lankan defense ministry website are these prison cells. They are more than six feet tall and the size of a standard prison cell to be found around the world. These were abandoned by the LTTE more than a year ago when LTTE moved further inland.

The Sinhala village of Bakkimiddiya (see map) is a notorious village for growing Cannabis. LTTE has gone and burnt their Cannabis cultivation on several occasions. The pictures in the Sri Lankan Defense military website of Cannabis cultivation is certainly from this Sinhala village. LTTE would urge any international agencies to go and check this for themselves.

Part of the LTTE civil administration is a Forest Protection Department which has very strict rules on logging. One only needs to drive through LTTE areas to see the re-forestration projects undertaken by the LTTE. Sinhala thugs from the same Bakkimiddiya village regularly carryout illegal logging that the LTTE has found difficult control.

It is ironic that the Sri Lankan Defense ministry should use all illegal activities carried out by Sinhala people in Amparai to tarnish the LTTE. Locations without independent observers are indeed fertile ground for spin doctoring. Sri Lankan Defense ministry must be congradulated because the international media too has eagerly repeated their spin-doctoring.

16 January 2007

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