Situation:

Four Vavuniya homeowners were attacked and hurt on Saturday by Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) officers when they were clearing their land.While the locals of Maraiyadiththakulam, Vavuniya were removing the underbrush that had grown on their land, the policemen in civilian garments invaded the area. The STF officers entered as they were clearing the field and made an effort to stop them by saying that the land belonged to the Forest Department. The victims alleged that when the officers returned in the evening and assaulted them, they were drunk. The National Housing Development Authority had given the residents permission to clear their land, the MP responded when he was questioned about it. He added that he had checked with the Forest Department to see if there were any questions about who owned the land, and he confirmed that there weren’t any. He also said that he had complained to the STF’s IGP, Pujith Jayasundara, about the behavior of the STF officials. The incident occurs against a background of escalating conflicts between landowners in Sri Lanka’s North-East and state forces and agencies. Land robberies in the Tamil homeland are frequently carried out by the Sri Lankan Forest Department.

Encryption: Once again we’re denied our birth given rights. Again the state officials disrespect us and the land our forefathers have gave us. The root of the issue? The state, the ones at the top, the ones who are corrupt. For just trimming a bushes that happen to be overgrown and on pieces of Tamil owned land. The law abiding citizens of this land that previously got the greenlight from the NHDA to take care of part of the land were harassed and assaulted by the Special Task Force. My Sri Lankan brothers and sisters, when will this stop. The purging of the Tamil homeland must be stop once and for all. At what cost will change happen? Will it take another incident like this or even include death to stop the robbery of our home land?

HR:https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/sri-lanka-special-task-force-assault-tamil-landowners