How many of Sri Lanka’s IDPs had land deeds to demand return of ‘their lands’?

In Sri Lanka, land is either owned by private individuals, the state or land is given on lease to investors by either private land owners or the state. The state has records of lands owned by the state while in the case of private individuals they have land deeds that showcase their entitlement to a plot of land with surveyed demarcations. The question is simple – Everyday reports emerge of rising numbers of IDPs claiming return of ‘their lands’ supported by foreign parties. Most of these lands that are demanded are either adjacent to high security zone areas or even inside the high security zone areas. However, to demand return of ‘their lands’ have they produced land deeds to prove their right to ownership? Should this have not been investigated first?

We are well aware that the LTTE mastered in mass movement of Tamils to create global sensationalism that became an excellent means to exert pressure on the Sri Lankan Army to withdraw or withhold attack against it. Use of civilians, rounding them up, using civilians to travel alongside them to relocate to new destinations provided an excellent cover to the LTTE. Thamilini the head of the female wing of the LTTE in her life story too highlights how LTTE moved civilians for their advantage. This was proven by the manner LTTE hid their arms, ammunition and artillery inside the no fire zone created by the army for the civilians.

These Tamil civilians were not from high caste or high class backgrounds but were poor, desolate people from whom LTTE plucked their children to turn into child soldiers or cadres.You will hardly find any high caste Tamil fighters in the LTTE so much for Prabakaran starting out his armed struggle against the caste system. He ended up manipulating the caste system to his advantage. Prabakaran himself was a low caste but later believed to have changed faith to Christianity thus the LTTE-Church links and the fact that all NGOs, missionaries and evangelicals supported and continue to support the eelam agenda in Sri Lanka and from India and other parts of the world. Enough of articles have been written drawing these links with examples.

That close to 300,000 Tamils were saved by the Sri Lankan Army together with 12,000 LTTE cadres who surrendered is also noteworthy. What we do not know and what UN or others questioning the Sri Lankan Government & Army only does not question is,

• How any of these 300,000 Tamils were really civilians?
• How many were voluntary combatants?
• How many were involuntary combatants?
• How many had been trained at one time or the other in armed combat
• How many belonged to the Tamil Civilian Army which LTTE created.
• How many of these close to 300,000 Tamils were child soldiers, LTTE cadres in civilian clothing? (please note all of the 12,000 LTTE cadres who surrendered before the conclusion of the conflict were in civilian attire and not in LTTE uniforms)
• How many of these Tamils were families of LTTE cadres who had been enjoying a life better than ordinary Tamils?

Therefore in not knowing answers to any of the above it is rather ludicrous to agree to giving wholesale distribution of not only lands in high security zone areas but title deeds to them as well. Why has the GOSL or its advisors not thought of the need to establish

• That the IDPs were authentic IDPs
• That IDPs were Sri Lankan Tamils – this is crucial because LTTE is on record for stating that 33% of its cadres were from Tamil Nadu, if so this means foreigners were fighting on behalf of the LTTE. Their families may have been living in North Sri Lanka or even East Sri Lanka as Sri Lankan Tamils and they have no right to claim land or be given title deeds. In fact they should be asked to return to Tamil Nadu. We do not know how many of the rising numbers of Tamils suddenly returning to Sri Lanka are actually Sri Lankan Tamils or Indian Tamils pretending to be Sri Lankan Tamils. If this is allowed to continue we will see dangerous demographic change and countless other problems arising.
• Did the IDPs have title deeds or were they living in makeshift homes throughout LTTE rule. We also need to note when areas of the North were liberated in May 2009 the world was witness to startling reality that there were hardly any homes that so many NGOs are said to have built, the dollars and pounds that kind hearted people had donated over the years to LTTE charities operating overseas had not been spent to build any roads, any homes, any parks, any schools but there were orphanages and these were no ordinary orphanages but places in the thick jungles where child soldiers were trained in armed combat. You will not find any NGO admitting this because their lies would get exposed.
• The other excuse for people not having land deeds would be that these were destroyed but with names and details of their land the authorities can verify this easily to see if claims match with the records. However, even this option was never sought.

It is interesting that all the demands for lands by ‘IDPs’ revolved around high security zone areas and was complimented by the global chorus for dismantling of high security zone areas, closure of military bases, reduction of military and even the removal of the Sri Lankan Army from the North altogether. From UN, UNHRC, their officials, the foreign-government funded NGOs, the foreign-government funded faith-based organizations were all singing the same song. The mischief was obvious to those able to read between the lines but for the government flooded by accusations, well-funded reports and a global campaign of condemnation it was all too much to weather. Advisors too failed to furnish the necessary ammunition to counter these claims and Sri Lanka ended up giving in to unfair and unreasonable pressures. For foolishly giving away state lands in hsz areas the GOSL has got a congratulatory pat on the back by people who are sure to be laughing at the GOSL for being so damn stupid and falling for the bait!

The question is – Should people who had no land deeds be given prime land and new deeds when they were never entitled to them? Are the people who have been given new title deeds really Sri Lankan, are they really IDPs, are the names issued on these title deeds of people with foreign passports living overseas? Who has compiled the names and details of the people who were given title deeds and were these names whetted, verified and investigated before giving these deeds? Some of the areas that people have been given deeds are prime state lands. If people didn’t have proof and if they also didn’t have deeds and they could not verify they even owned lands can them make a fuss over where the GOSL decides to relocate them especially if they cannot prove they were living in the areas they claim to have owned land?

Seven years after a well concluded conflict, we still are grappling to find answers because of the confusion involved in the conflict. As we can now see the conflict was not simply a LTTE-GOSL/Army conflict it was more complicated and involved multiple players who continue to see the ‘Tamil grievance’ card for their own agenda. Its time people wake up to these realities. Who will benefit by lands in the hands of people who didnt own lands when these people are being ‘handled’ by parties that dragged the conflict for 3 decades?

Shenali D Waduge

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