According to records of the SL Government Agent offices of
Mullaiththeevu and Ki’linochchi districts, the population of Vanni was
429,059 in October 2008. The total number of people who got into SL
government control after the war was 282,380, according to UN update
as of 10 July 2009. “Due clarification should be made regarding what
happened to 146,679 people, which is the discrepancy between the
number of people who came to government controlled areas between
October 2008 – May 2009 and the population reported to be in Vanni in
early October 2008,” said the Catholic Bishop of Mannaar, Rt. Rev. Dr.
Rayappu Joseph in his submission to the LLRC Saturday. The Bishop has
also raised the issues of militarization, colonisation, land grab,
Sihalicization, Buddhicisation and civil as well as human rights
abuses that take place in the Tamil land following the war.
The Bishop of Mannar Diocese, Rt Rev Rayappu Joseph, attending the
LLRC session in MannaarThe LTTE, other armed Tamil groups and the war,
are not the cause, but only results of the conflict. Their actions
were prompted by the failure of successive governments to respond
favourably to Tamil’s efforts to resolve their problems through
peaceful and political means. Roots of the conflict and reasons for
the war that caused so much pain, destruction and polarization dates
much further, the Bishop pointed out.
Citing the case of Rev. Fr. Jim Brown, whose case of disappearance in
2006 was part of the mandate of a previous presidential commission
proved futile, the Bishop said “we must express our disappointment
that previous Commissions of Inquiry have failed to establish the
truth into human rights violations and extrajudicial killings they
were inquiring and bring justice and relief to victims and their
families.”
“Although establishing the truth is not explicitly mentioned in your
mandate, we believe you will share our conviction that there can be no
genuine and lasting reconciliation without truth,” the Bishop told the
LLRC.
Commenting on colonisation activities the Bishop said: “There is
suspicion amongst historical inhabitants in the district that these
are part of a government plan to bring about demographic changes in
terms of ethnic and religious composition of the districts and the
Northern Province as a whole. Such efforts in the past have been a key
factor that led to the conflict, war and violence and as we try to
move towards reconciliation, it is crucial to learn lessons from the
mistakes made in the past and not repeat such mistakes.”
While expressing his disapproval over limiting the amount of money
spent on each permanent house in the North and East to 3,25,000 which
is hardly enough for decent housing, the Bishop also has cautioned
against possible obstacles to the Indian plan to build 50,000 houses.
