UVA-WELLASSA WILL RISE AGAIN, UPC MEMBER

Says Government preparing to alienate 65,000 acres of Uva-wellassa land to MNC regardless of public protest Threatens to take to the streets

The Government promised to provide those Samurdhi allowances, employment and land to settle. They realized that they had been cheated. Our campaign is to save historic Uva-wellassa from the grip of the foreigners

The Convener of the Lower Uva-wellassa People’s Rights Protection Movement, Member of the Uva Provincial Council Samantha Vidyaratne said the Government was preparing to alienate 65,000 acres of land in the Lower Uva-wellassa to a Multi-national Corporation regardless of public campaigns against it and that his organization had sought an appointment with President Maithripala Sirisena to take up the issue. He said if the President would not provide them with the opportunity to make representations in this regard, the people in his organization would mobilize the masses to launch a massive campaign and to take to streets. He warned that the people in Uva-wellassa were prepared for the second Uva -Wellassa uprising to save their land from foreigners.

He told the media at Bibila Bodhirukkarama Temple that an MNC that failed to acquire land for the proposed Gliricidia Project was now attempting to implement the project through another MNC company.

“The Government is preparing to implement the project through whatever possible tactics,” he said.

“Interested parties have received big slices We would not allow the Government to alienate a single inch of the soil. If the President ignored the issue we are ready to lay down our lives to save our land for posterity of the deal and they are attempting to push forward the project. A group of people from the Kandaketiya area staged a counter-protest demanding the implementation of the project. “The Government promised to provide those Samurdhi allowances, employment and land to settle. They realized that they had been cheated. Our campaign is to save historic Uva-wellassa from the grip of the foreigners.

“We would not allow the Government to alienate a single inch of the soil. If the President ignored the issue we are ready to lay down our lives to save our land for posterity,” he said.

President of the Organisation Attorney Sarath Kumara said the previous Government attempted to alienate 65,000 acres of land to an MNC for sugar cane cultivation but it was foiled by the people and now the present Government was attempting to implement the project.