Refugees for 20 years, Tamil Catholic families forced to live in the jungle

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Refugees-for-20-years,-Tamil-Catholic-families-forced-to-live-in-the-jungle-25104.html

by Melani Manel Perera
With the Civil War, the community of Mullikulam (Mannar, Northern Province) has lost everything: homes, properties, land. They can't return to their home village because the Navy wants to build a naval base there. Now the government has placed them in a forest: they sleep on the floor, surrounded by elephants and snakes. They need to build new homes, but they have no tools. Catholic priest: "We are witnessing an intolerable and meaningless discrimination."


Mannar (AsiaNews) - They live in the jungle, on the ground without a roof or a tent over their heads, surrounded by elephants, snakes and other wildlife. There are 145 families, 285 Tamil Catholics from the village of Mullikulam in Mannar District (Northern Province, Sri Lanka). In theory, these people would be among the first groups of civil war refugees (IDPs - Internally Displaced People) to enjoy the resettlement programs promoted by the government. In practice, for more than 20 years they have not had a home, or jobs to be able to survive. A group of people - including two Catholic priests, a Buddhist monk and two members of NGOs - visited the community and said they were "shocked" by the conditions in which these people find themselves. "What crime", said Ven. Buddhiyagama Chandrarathana Thero, "could these people have ever committed, to live like animals?".