Sri Lanka Navy has forcefully acquired close to 900 acres of forestry located within the perimeters of the Wilpattu National Park to carry out constructions of a mega tourism project.
Gotabaya – Secretary MOD
According to information revealed by the officials of the Environment Conservation Trust, the land grab has been carried out by the SLN in the area located along the Northern border of the park, in the vicinity of the Mollikulam area. Presently, a large wall that is about nine inches in height is being built around the forcefully acquired land and its constructions have been completed so far for about 2 km along the Eluwankulama – Silwathura road that was also constructed by the SLN illegally.
What is even more damaging is that, 50 more acres of land in the national park have been impacted due to being cleared to obtain soil to build the massive nine inch rampart that is being built around the 900 acre land.
“These actions are indications to prove that there is no civil administration in these areas,” environmentalists point out.
When inquired, SLN had justified the illegal constructions and land grabs stating it is for security reasons as the LTTE threat still exists. But deeper probing into the constructions have revealed that the land has been acquired to construct a mega tourism project.
Similar land grabs have been carried out in Paanama, Ampara where residents of two villages had been ousted from their homes and farming lands spanning over 1220 acres forcefully to construct tourism projects.
Despite environmental laws clearly stating that prior approval should be obtained following an environmental impact assessment report test, before commencing the constructions of any development project within one mile radius of a national park, no such permission has been sought for this SLN led project so far.
As a result of these illegal constructions, the environment has come under heavy threats including its eco system, habitats of animals such as elephants and the area has become more prone to soil erosion and the archaeological sites in the vicinity are also on the verge of being destroyed.
Wilpattu National Park is home to a total of 328 species out of which 21 are indigenous.
Dr Romesh Senewiratne-Alagaratnam / September 11, 2014
Building a tourist facility in Wilpattu nned not be a disaster for the wildlife if it is responsible ecotourism. If it means water-sports and four-wheel drives on the beach that’s a different matter. The national park at Wilpattu should also be extended to create a larger network of regenerated forests. This could be used for selective hardwoods such as ebony-growing, but there could be a ban on guns, hunting and weapons for the protection and regeneration of the wildlife.
The building of eco-friendly tourism should be a priority also for protection of the reefs in the East and North.
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Ben Hurling / September 11, 2014
Sri Lanka no longer belongs to her people.
It belongs to a bunch of corrupt, criminal cronies & henchmen who entered corridors of power using the SLFP. An utterly rotten vehicle used by many to grab power in our country since 1948.
What is happening to Sri Lanka’s natural beauty under this regime is nothing but environmental criminality of the gravest order.
Today I shed a tear for yet another national treasure of Sri Lanka. The majestic, beautiful Wilpattu national park.
She is gradually being disfigured by so called “patriots”.
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anonymous / September 11, 2014
Spot 0n again Ben!
Unfortunately, today I have no tears left to shed for yet another national treasure of Sri Lanka. The majestic, beautiful Wilpattu national park.
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MirakRajBanda / September 11, 2014
Now, Now…. where is the bloody BBS and the goon Gnanasara????
Can he confront the equally goon the racist Gotabya Rajaksa???
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Lapatiya / September 11, 2014
Shh….shh….Please don’t disturb Nanasara. Now a days Naanasara is writing a book about his former Love affairs. Just wait until he finished his book.
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eusense / September 11, 2014
Who writes this kind of garbage?
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Excuse Me / September 11, 2014
Yes Excuse me sir,
Eluwankulam not Eluwankulama!
Also Silavaththurai.
Mullikkulam not Mollikulam.
All parts of flourishing Tamil civilisation that largely converted to Mohemadianism before the Portugese arrived. Katpitti, acceptable as Kalpiti but only with caution of land grabbing as Kalpitiya was the key base the Dutch developed soon after – hence we have both Portugese Bay and Dutch Bay facing in the seas that the greeks have on record for its flourishing pearl and other trade.
Eluwankulam damn it!
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Rationalist / September 13, 2014
‘Excuse me’
You are asking me to beg the question again.
“Which came first, the Chicken or the Egg”?
Why is this so important?
As the Buddha said:- Are ‘Words’ more important than Lives?
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Senthil / September 11, 2014
There is a saying, a tiger first killed a goat and then it killed a cow and then it started to kill humans, then all the people got together and killed that tiger. It is up to singhalese majority to save srilanka. If you distroy north , it will affect south as well. MR & co is gathering sin day by day. If they can’t settle all the sin before death, the balance to be settled by his off springs.One thing i do not understand is MR talk about buddhist but how come he believe in hindu based pooja, munthira,yaham etc. Is buddism thiory is to cheat common singhalese. How are we going to develop srilanka with only srilankan brain.God’s creation is very complicated,if things go out of hand he has his special weapons,natural disasters.
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / September 11, 2014
This country is no longer safe for man or beast, if they are poor, helpless or both. The Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and others are equally vulnerable.
The LTTE is yet the excuse for those who eliminated it to continue their rapacious exploitation of the vulnersble- man or beast.
Our Nero is fiddling while rome burns!
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
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Eusense / September 11, 2014
Narendran,
You say ” The LTTE is yet the excuse for those who eliminated it to continue their rapacious exploitation of the vulnersble- man or beast”
Have you ever had thoughts of these kinds of consequences of terrorism?
Apparently not. I guess if you had, you would have written to the terror perpetrators, right?
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / September 12, 2014
Eusense,
This government uses various kinds of terror to achieve its objectives. Terrorism of the kind the the LTTE practiced- suicide bombers, land mines, lamp posting, torturing, mass executions etc., are long gone. They are primitive, in comparison to what this government does. How will you describe what unfolded in Aluthgama? How will you describe white canning? How will you describe conveniently staged motor vehicle accidents? How will you describe illegal take over of private property, backed by violence? The lying, prevarication, manipulation of statistics, corruption and nepotism it practices without any shame is also terrorism against decency in this country, with consequences more far reaching than what the LTTE did. What it did the C J Shirani Bandaranayake was terrorism too. When force with a gun, bomb or immoral application of power or misuse and perversion of law or processes are deployed against persons who are helpless, it is terrorism with a big T.
This government has learned much from the LTTE and advanced it further to a level of sophistication that cannot be ignored. It is larger than life.
Dr. Rajasingham Narendran
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Eusense / September 12, 2014
narendran,
Read what I wrote to you again. Once terrorism is unleashed any gov. has a device to convince its citizens that everything the gov. does is to protect and progress the country. Additionally, MR ending the 30 year war gave him an unprecedented mandate and power which he has over-used in my opinion. Why all this? the answer is 30 years of terror and violence by the LTTE. Without the LTTE terror reign what power would MR have? That is the point I wanted to indicate to you in my post. You never foresaw this kind of power and abuse of power as a consequence of a terror war which you appear to support.
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wilpattuHouse / September 12, 2014
Pile of Bullshit article. Who writes this stuff.
located along the Northern border of the park
Northern Border and 2 km from Eluvamkulama, really.
Eluvamkulama is on the southern border.
so far for about 2 km along the Eluwankulama – Silwathura road that was also constructed by the SLN illegally.
2 km from Eluvamkulama is outside the Wilpattu Park.
4 km from Eluvamkulama to the Park boundary at Kala-Oya causeway boundary
The Eluwankulama – Silwathura road is historical. It was a cart track in the the Early 1900 before the Park connecting the populations of Mannar and Puttalam. The road is still called the Old Mannar Puttalam road.
50 more acres of land in the national park have been impacted due to being cleared to obtain soil to build the massive nine inch rampart that is being built around the 900 acre land.
Dont know about the 50 acres, The 900 acres is south of the Wilpattu Border. Its an old tank (Achchimale tank) that is being reconstructed to build the Puttalam Water supply being fed by the Kala-Oya
http://www.waterboard.lk/dzws/Progress%20Report%20as%20at%20September%202011.pdf
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Dr Romesh Senewiratne-Alagaratnam / September 14, 2014
Thanks for setting the record straight.
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Dr. Rajasingham Narendran / September 14, 2014
How and when did Eluvankulam become Eluwankulama? Can someone clarify?
Dr.RN
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Rationalist / September 15, 2014
One could ask the same question in reverse:-
When and how did ‘Eluwankulama’ become ‘Eluvankulam’?
Probably when these names were written in the English Alphabet, by Christian Missionaries.
When did ‘Kolamba’ become Colombo.’
When did ‘Gaalla become ‘Galle’
When did ‘Kande Uda Pas Rata’ become ‘Kandy’?
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / September 14, 2014
Also, when and how did Silavathurai become Silwathura?
Dr.RN
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Rationalist / September 15, 2014
One could ask the same question in reverse:-
When and how did ‘Silwathura’ become ‘Silavathurai’?
I would imagine, it would have happened when the Christian Missionaries asked the same question from Sinhala and Tamil speaking Ceylonese.
Why is it so important?
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / September 15, 2014
Not a very rational response. What doe Kulam and Thurai mean in Sinhalese? How do the new names fit the locations? It is always the Christiam Missionaries and Tamil Surveyors who have been up to mischief to Tamilise Lanka! How devious these Missionaries and before them the Tamils have been!!
Dr.RN
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Rationalist / September 16, 2014
Dr.RN I have got you one example from Google.
“Abhaya Wewa is one of the oldest tanks in Sri Lanka. This is now popularly known as Basawakkulama tank which is not the original name. Abhaya wewa tank was built by king Pandukabhaya (437-367 BC) in 4th century B.C. This was the start of the great ancient Sri Lankan irrigation engineering.
Today the tank carries 174 hectares of water at the surface and even after 2500 years, the tank still continue to supply water to Anuradhapura.
Nearby cities: Negombo, Gampaha City, Nuwara Eliya
Coordinates: 8°21’5″N 80°23’15″E
Last editors: Tharinda,amiladm,Mayooranathan”
This is how words change. They change according to who is in Power at the time.
As someone has said earlier, ‘History is Bunk’
It is a case of trying to decide ‘Which came first, the Chicken or the Egg?’
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eusense / September 13, 2014
WH
Majority of the info you see here and posted are wrong, anti-sri Lankan and separatist written.
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Abhaya / September 13, 2014
Tourism promotion in Wilpattu is a good thing . it will prevent the overuse and destruction of the Yala park
Cheers
Abhaya
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Rationalist / September 15, 2014
Abhaya,
Tourism promotion is one thing, but overdevelopment is another.
I remember the days when we used to sleep out in the verandahs of Buththuva and Palatupana in Yala, and were not worried about modern conveniences, as long as the basic necessities were available.
Western Tourists enjoy camping out on a holidays, and are not really interested in luxury accommodation within Wild life Parks.
It is the new rich WOG Politicians who have not really enjoyed the Outdoor Experience, who are so keen on mod cons in Wild Life Parks.
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Abhaya / September 13, 2014
Massive 9 inch high Rampart . lmao .
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rosy / May 7, 2015
yeah 9 INCH,,,lol…… Who wrotes this articles….LMAO
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Rosy / May 7, 2015
guys are we talking about a 9 INCH wall and calling it massive? Who wrote this article, requires proper proof reading..
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