Member of Parliament Ramanathan Archchuna used a parliamentary debate to criticize the government's portrayal of conditions in the Northern Province, alleging that the realities faced by residents differ significantly from official claims.
Referring to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's recent visit to the North, Archunna said the President had suggested that people in the region were living peaceful and normal lives. The MP said he chose to speak in Sinhala during the debate to communicate to people in the South what he described as the true situation in the North.
Speaking during an adjournment debate on housing assistance for low-income families and those living in rented accommodation, Archchuna shifted focus to land acquisition issues in Tellippalai, Jaffna.
He alleged that residents whose lands had been acquired were asked to sign compensation documents that did not include property valuations. According to the MP, landowners refused to sign the documents because they had not been provided with proper compensation assessments.
Archchuna further claimed that police were deployed to remove civilians who resisted signing the documents.
He noted that many of the disputed land acquisitions date back to 1989 and questioned why similar issues continue to be concentrated in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
The MP also alleged that peaceful protesters in the North had faced intimidation by authorities.
According to Archchuna, temporary shelters erected by protesters were dismantled, while water tanks supplied for demonstrators were confiscated using police vehicles.
Archchuna expressed disappointment over what he described as the government's failure to address the concerns of Tamil-speaking communities, despite securing parliamentary representation from northern electorates.
