The army is still in our neighboring land and occupying it by force – Sellamma

We lived happily in our own house. I have 9 children, all got married in our own home. We have a big garden around the house. In 1985, my son and son-in-law were taken with another group and killed by the army. In 2009, we were displaced due to the war. When we returned our house was occupied by the army. So we rented a house in 2011. 

My husband and son got permission in 2014 and went to visit our house which was occupied by the army. 14 days later, my husband passed away. He was very shocked to see the condition of our house. My husband’s last wish was to live in our house. But even after his death, the army did not allow us to bring his body home and perform the last rites. So we kept his body outside the gate of the house, on the road. But the army fired tear gas and tried to drive us away. My sister also passed away that year. She also had a right to this house. Even though she had a house of her own, her funeral was held in a rented house.

We continued to protest demanding our land to be returned to us. Our house was in good condition when we left. But when the army returned the house to us, there was only the door. Even the doors had been broken. The army left our house after making the whole house dirty. The army had even defecated inside the house. Even the commode had been broken and taken away. They did so due to the hatred they had towards us because we took back our land from them by protesting against them.

The whole land was covered with weeds. There were bullet casings in the well. They had written on the wall of the house and destroyed it. The walls were penetrated by bullets. Our old house built by my husband was completely destroyed. As a tribute to my husband, we built that house again. 

The army is still in our neighboring land and occupying it by force. That is the only land that the person who owns that land had. We do not understand why the army is there, to protect what from whom.

Sellamma 
Pudukuduirippu, Mullaitivu