Sinhala encroachers in Mylathamadu ordered to vacate occupied grazing land
The Eravur Circuit Magistrate court has upheld a case filed seeking to remove 13 Sinhala people who have illegally occupied government land earmarked as grazing lands for the local cattle farmers in the Eastern Province.
The case was filed by the Mahaweli Authority saying that outsiders have erected temporary houses and were doing agriculture on the government lands encroached by them in the Mylathamadu-Madhavanai area with a prayer they may be evicted from there.
Judgment on the petition filed on the 22nd of September this year was delivered on Monday the 13th of November.
Meanwhile, the protest by the Tamil cattle farmers against the forced occupation of their grazing lands in the Batticaloa-Mylathamadhu-Madhavanai area, in front of the Batticaloa Sithandi school continued for the 60th day on Monday (13)
Local journalists say the magistrate ordered the 13 individuals who have occupied the lands to produce in the court if they have any land registration documents in their name when the case was taken up for hearing on the 10th of November when the case would be heard on the 13th.
Magistrate Anwar Sadat ordered their eviction since the Sinhala farmers could not produce any documents confirming their rights over the lands occupied by them duly issued by government officials, local journalists add.
Government Attorney Dilka De Silva appeared on behalf of the Mahaweli Authority.
Tamil farmers who were protesting against the occupation say half the grazing lands have been occupied by the Sinhala farmers and hence they are facing a livelihood crisis.
Around 150 Sinhala families were settled in the Mylathamadu-Madhavanai area by the former governor of the Eastern Province Anuradha Yahambath who was appointed by the ousted former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
These families were encouraged to be involved in maize cultivation, which led to clashes in the past between them and the traditional Tamil cattle farmers of that area.
Protesting Tamil cattle farmers say Sinhala farmers have forcefully occupied 2500 acres of land out of the 6000 acres of grazing land which were the primary source of fodder for their cattle.
Police resorted to attacks on the protesting Tamil cattle farmers seeking a solution from President Ranil Wickremesinghe during his visit to the Eastern Province recently.
Charges were framed against forty persons including a Buddhist monk, and Tamil MPs by the police, and a case was registered. Most of those charged are Tamils.
A meeting between the representatives of the Tamil people and the President was held on the 15th of October at the President’s secretariat to find a solution for the Tamil cattle farmers, during which the President ordered the Police and the Mahaweli Authority to evict those who have forcefully occupied the grazing land and involved in agriculture through legal action.
