Probe army occupation of pvt lands, not Opp. leader’s visit – TNA

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) today rejected allegations that party leader R. Sampanthan forcibly entered the army camp in Paravipanjan while stating that the Leader of the Opposition visited the location at the invitation of the legal owners of the properties.

TNA spokesman M.A. Sumanthiran, addressing a press briefing in Colombo to clarify in the issue, stated that there has been a lot of hype about this particular incident, which has been described as “unauthorized forcible entry” into an army camp by the Opposition Leader. 

He stated that the area in question has been occupied by the Sri Lanka Army for some time now and that this had resulted in 84 families being displaced. 

“We are not very sure of the full extent of the land they (army) are occupying. But there are 84 families that were displaced from this area as a result of the army occupation of this land.” 

The TNA Parliamentarian said that at some point the army reduced the extent of their occupation and due to that 34 families were able to go back to their own properties. 

“As of now another 54 families are not able to go back to their homes because the army is in forcible and illegal occupation of private property.” 

“So if there is any illegality or force that has been by the Sri Lanka Army not by the Leader of the Opposition,” he charged. 

He stated that representatives of the aforementioned families had met the Opposition Leader during a visit to Kilinochchi, at a meeting held in the office of MP S. Sridharan on the 16th of April.

He stated that people from Paravipanjan told Sampanthan that they were not being allowed to resettle in their own homes, just across the road, which are not even being used by the army and are just locked up and kept.

They invited the Leader of the Opposition to come and have a look at that place, he said, adding, that is how the opposition leader with two other MPs - Sridharan and Charles Nirmalananthan, went to that place. 

“Upon seeing Mr Sampanthan’s vehicle, the person who was at the sentry point at the entrance barricade opened the barricade without any question and the vehicles drove in and the people also followed him and they went around and saw all the houses,” he said. 

The TNA spokesman said that Mr Sampanthan promised them that he would speak to the government about the issue when he gets back to Colombo and left the place. “This is all that happened.” 

“He went into that area at the invitation of the legal owners of those properties.”  The army is in illegal forceful occupation of those properties, he reasserted. 

Sumanthiran said that he has checked the records and that most of the land in question is private property owned by people with deeds. There is a very small area of about 5 acres that the army had wanted acquired and certain acquisition steps had been taken in respect of those 5 acres, he said.

“But over 25 acres of private land still remains in the legal ownership of private citizens of this country and they are being prevented illegally by the Sri Lanka Army from occupying that area.”

He added that the Leader of Opposition met the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe this morning and complained to the latter that the army is preventing people from going back to their own houses. 

“The Prime Minister assured us that he will call for a report from the army on this matter,” he said. 

The TNA MP stated that if people want an inquiry it should be about the “illegal activity” of the Sri Lanka Army in occupying private residences and not about the Opposition Leader  going into this area. “That is what the inquiry should be on.”