Sri Lankan state sponsored colonisation schemes
Encyclopedia
Sri Lankan state sponsored colonisation schemes refers to government
backed establishment of Sinhalese
communities in regions traditionally considered to be Sri Lankan Tamil lands in the northern or eastern parts of the Sri Lanka
. It has been perhaps the most immediate cause of inter-communal violence.
, the Sinhalese dominated government of Ceylon started a programme to settle peasants in the jungles of Trincomalee District
. The forests were cleared and water tanks restored. As a consequence of these schemes the Sinhalese population of Trincomalee District rose from 11,606 (15%) in 1946 to 85,503 (33%) in 1981. In the 1980s the government extended the colonisation schemes into the Dry Zone area of the Northern Province
, drawing up plans to settle up to 30,000 Sinhalese in traditionally Tamil land.
town. 77% of settlers were Sinhalese and the rest were Tamils/Muslims.
A colonisation scheme was at Alai Kulam tank, 25 km south of Trincomalee town. 65% of settlers were Sinhalese and the rest were Muslims.
The colonisation scheme was extended to Tamil speaking areas of Anuradhapura District
. A scheme was started at Pathavik Kulam (Padaviya) tank, 65 km north-east of Anuradhapura
town. Parts of the scheme lay in Trincomalee District and as such were annexed to the Sinhalese dominated Anuradhapura District
. Land Development Department employees from this scheme took part in the 1958 anti-Tamil riots.
The colonisation scheme was extended into the Northern province with the introduction of the Manal Aru
(Weli Oya) scheme, which covered the districts of Mullaitivu
, Trincomalee, Vavuniya
and Anuradhapura. Sinhalese were settled in traditionally Tamil land, given land, money to build homes and security provided by the Special Task Force
. Although the scheme covered four districts, administration was handled from the Sinhalese dominated Anuradhapura district. The scheme aroused much anger amongst the Tamils. This anger boiled over into violence when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
attacked
the Kent and Dollar Farm settlement at Weli Oya, killing 62.
s were withdrawn in 1990, Tamils homes in the suburbs of Trincomalee were occupied by Sinhalese settlers according to pro-rebel Tamilnet.
After the war ended in 2009,Sri Lanka is settling thousands of Sinhalese in Tamil areas causing demographic changes.Names of places are being changed and Buddhist temples are built everywhere.All Tamil identities are being destroyed.
Politics of Sri Lanka
Politics of Sri Lanka takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Sri Lanka is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both...
backed establishment of Sinhalese
Sinhalese people
The Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group,forming the majority of Sri Lanka,constituting 74% of the Sri Lankan population.They number approximately 15 million worldwide.The Sinhalese identity is based on language, heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and the...
communities in regions traditionally considered to be Sri Lankan Tamil lands in the northern or eastern parts of the Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. It has been perhaps the most immediate cause of inter-communal violence.
Introduction
Shortly after independenceIndependence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
, the Sinhalese dominated government of Ceylon started a programme to settle peasants in the jungles of Trincomalee District
Trincomalee District
Trincomalee district is one of the 25 administrative districts of Sri Lanka. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka...
. The forests were cleared and water tanks restored. As a consequence of these schemes the Sinhalese population of Trincomalee District rose from 11,606 (15%) in 1946 to 85,503 (33%) in 1981. In the 1980s the government extended the colonisation schemes into the Dry Zone area of the Northern Province
Northern Province, Sri Lanka
The Northern Province is one of the 9 provinces of Sri Lanka. The provinces have existed since the 19th century but did not have any legal status until 1987 when the 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils. Between 1988 and 2006 the province was...
, drawing up plans to settle up to 30,000 Sinhalese in traditionally Tamil land.
1950s
The first colonisation scheme was at Kanthalai Kulam (Kantale) tank where peasants from outside Trincomalee District were settled in the traditional Tamil village of Kanthalai, 39 km south-west of TrincomaleeTrincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
town. 77% of settlers were Sinhalese and the rest were Tamils/Muslims.
A colonisation scheme was at Alai Kulam tank, 25 km south of Trincomalee town. 65% of settlers were Sinhalese and the rest were Muslims.
The colonisation scheme was extended to Tamil speaking areas of Anuradhapura District
Anuradhapura District
Anuradhapura is a district in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its area is 7,179 km².-Demographics:The population according to 2001 census is 745,693 of which 90.7 % are sinhalese, 8.3 % Sri Lankan Moors, 0.7 % native Sri Lankan tamils and 0.1 % tamils of Indian origin...
. A scheme was started at Pathavik Kulam (Padaviya) tank, 65 km north-east of Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura, , is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient Lankan civilization.The city, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies 205 km north of the current capital Colombo in Sri Lanka's North Central Province, on the banks of the historic...
town. Parts of the scheme lay in Trincomalee District and as such were annexed to the Sinhalese dominated Anuradhapura District
Anuradhapura District
Anuradhapura is a district in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its area is 7,179 km².-Demographics:The population according to 2001 census is 745,693 of which 90.7 % are sinhalese, 8.3 % Sri Lankan Moors, 0.7 % native Sri Lankan tamils and 0.1 % tamils of Indian origin...
. Land Development Department employees from this scheme took part in the 1958 anti-Tamil riots.
1960s
In the 1961 a colonisation scheme was started at Muthali Kulam (Morawewa) tank, 24 km west of Trincomalee town.1980s
In the 1980s, funded by aid received from the European Community, a colonisation scheme was started at Periya Vilankulam (Mahadiulwewa) tank, 30 km north-west of Trincomalee town.The colonisation scheme was extended into the Northern province with the introduction of the Manal Aru
Manal Aru
Manal Aru is small village in Mullaithivu District in Northern province in Sri Lanka and Manal Aru is described as heart land of Sri Lankan Tamils. A body of running water moving to a lower level in a channel on land called as Manal Aru in Tamil...
(Weli Oya) scheme, which covered the districts of Mullaitivu
Mullaitivu District
Mullaitivu district is one of the 25 administrative districts of Sri Lanka. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The headquarters is located in Mullaitivu town...
, Trincomalee, Vavuniya
Vavuniya District
Vavuniya district is one of the 25 administrative districts of Sri Lanka. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The headquarters is located in Vavuniya town...
and Anuradhapura. Sinhalese were settled in traditionally Tamil land, given land, money to build homes and security provided by the Special Task Force
Special Task Force
The Special Task Force is an elite special forces unit of the Sri Lanka Police Service specializing in Counter-Terrorist and Counter-Insurgency operations. It was formed in 1983 not as a military force but rather as a highly specialised police unit...
. Although the scheme covered four districts, administration was handled from the Sinhalese dominated Anuradhapura district. The scheme aroused much anger amongst the Tamils. This anger boiled over into violence when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
attacked
Kent and Dollar Farm massacres
The Kent and Dollar Farm massacres was one of the earliest massacres of Sinhalese civilians carried out by the LTTE during the Sri Lankan Civil War...
the Kent and Dollar Farm settlement at Weli Oya, killing 62.
1990s
When the Indian Peace Keeping ForceIndian Peace Keeping Force
Indian Peace Keeping Force was the Indian military contingent performing a peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990...
s were withdrawn in 1990, Tamils homes in the suburbs of Trincomalee were occupied by Sinhalese settlers according to pro-rebel Tamilnet.
See also
- Origins of the Sri Lankan civil warOrigins of the Sri Lankan civil warThe origins of the Sri Lankan Civil War lie in the continuous political rancor between the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamils. According to Jonathan Spencer, a social anthropologist from the School of Social and Political Studies of the University of Edinburgh, the war is an outcome of how...
- Sri Lankan Civil WarSri Lankan civil warThe Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
- Black JulyBlack JulyBlack July is the commonly used name for the anti-Tamil pogrom and attacks carried out by mobs in Sri Lanka which began on July 23, 1983. The riots occurred following a deadly ambush by a Tamil militant organization known as Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam which killed 13 Sri Lanka Army soldiers...
pogrom
After the war ended in 2009,Sri Lanka is settling thousands of Sinhalese in Tamil areas causing demographic changes.Names of places are being changed and Buddhist temples are built everywhere.All Tamil identities are being destroyed.