ANDARAWEWA FARMERS FACE MAHAWELI EVICTION

DECADES-LONG TENURE ON ANCESTRAL LANDS HANGS IN THE BALANCE AS A GOVERNMENT EVICTION NOTICE LEAVES ANDARAWEWA FARMING COMMUNITY IN DEEP UNCERTAINTY

In a deepening land dispute, more than 3,600 farming families in Sri Lanka’s Vavuniya district have been ordered to vacate their lands by August 15. The farmers, who claim to have cultivated the land for over forty years and survived the civil war with army support, have received an official notice from the Mahaweli Zone L Authority to surrender what it claims is unauthorised possession of government property. The directive has sparked widespread anxiety and prompted an appeal for help from community leaders.

A round 3,630 farming families living in the Vavuniya district –namely , Bogaswewa 1, Bogaswewa 2, Namalgama, Salalihini gama, and Nandimithragama who have been cultivating these lands for over forty year claim their future is uncertain.

They claimed even during the period of the ethnic war, despite threats from the LTTE they continued to cultivate paddy fields. According to the villagers, the Sri Lankan Army supported them through these difficult times, providing clean water, food, and fertilizer.

They fled the area in 1985 after an LTTE attack in 1985, but returned in 2010 once the war ended. They said they returned with help extended by then President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

It’s not just where they grow rice. It’s where they have built homes, raised children, and survived the war they said.

The families say, paddy cultivation began as far back as 1955 under the Andarawewa Tank. They claim in 1980, the Vavuniya District Secretariat officially handed over the land to the farmers.

Recently, officers of Mahaweli Zone L officially issued a removal notice on July 7, 2025, to residents for allegedly occupying government land. The letter, signed by an Engineer of the Authority and addressed to a resident called Bimal Dharmadasa.

According to the notice, Dharmadasa was instructed to hand over unauthorised possession of a specific plot of government land, detailed in the attached annexure.

The document refers to provisions under the Mahaweli Act, and directs the resident to vacate the property and return clear possession to the Mahaweli Authority specifically to Zone L Veherathenna Division Manager by August 15, 2025.

The annexed land in question spans approximately five acres located in Andarawewa under the proposed Kivul Oya Reservoir, falling within Land Parcel No. 221 A, in the Vavuniya North Divisional Secretariat Division. The plot is surrounded by government land on all four sides.

The notice has created anxiety among villagers, many of whom claim to have lived on and cultivated this land for decades. The order from the Mahaweli Authority’s L-Zone office in Sampath Nuwara demanded farmers hand over their lands and leave by August 15.

However the Authority claims the land belongs to the Government (Crown Land) and that the farmers are occupying it illegally. The letter has left the community devastated.

Farmers claim that for years, they received fertilizer subsidies, paid taxes to the Mahaweli Authority, and farmed with government approval especially under the “Saubagya Production Village Programme,” which began with 40 acres and expanded later.

“We rebuilt this land after war destroyed everything,” said Bimal Dharmadasa, President of the Andarawewa Farmers’ Organisation.

Farmers said as they received no response from local authorities, Dharmadasa and ten other farmers travelled to Colombo to seek help from the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), Buddhist organisation.

“We tried everything, letters, meetings, appeals. But no one helped,” Dharmadasa said.

“Now we have no choice but to tell our story to the whole country.” At the BBS headquarters, General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera assured the farmers of his support.

“These farmers have been there for decades,” he said.

“It’s unfair and unlawful to suddenly ask them to leave without proper legal grounds.”

Dharmadasa claimed that the pressure began after Vanni District NPP MP Mayilvaganam Jegatheeswaran visited the area.

He accused NPP politicians including Aruna Chandrasekera of Vavuniya of supporting efforts to remove the farmers. Soon after their visit, the Mahaweli Authority’s L-zone issued the letter.

“More than 500 families have already left out of fear,” Dharmadasa added.

Nishantha Sampath Rajakaruna, a Pradeshiya Sabha member from Bogaswewa, echoed the same sentiments.

He said the villagers have been in cultivation for the last five years. The issue came up after the NPP came to office and after MP Jegatheeswaran visited.

He claimed the Mahaweli Authority’s L-Zone suspended the cultivation due to political pressure.

Dharmadasa explained saying August is a crucial month for the farmers. They must plough and prepare their fields by August 15 to catch the rains. If they miss this window, they won’t be able to sow in October, meaning an entire year’s crop will be lost.

He claimed more than 1,000 acres in nearby villages like Odiyamalai and Olu-madu have been cleared and cultivated. “Why are those legal? But our ancestral lands are not?” he asked.

Meanwhile, MP Mayilvaganam Jegatheeswaran, speaking to the Daily Mirror, denied any connection to a letter allegedly issued by the Mahaweli Authority L-zone regarding the removal of people from Andarawewa.

MP said he had received information from residents in the Vavuniya District close to Andarawewa about deforestation activities taking place in the area.

“As a responsible public representative, I informed the area Forest Department, the Mahaweli Authority, and the relevant Divisional Secretary to look into the complaint,” he said.

“I personally visited the location and witnessed that nearly 30 to 40 hectares of dense forest had been cleared by unidentified individuals.”

Jegatheeswaran, said he had received information from residents in the Vavuniya District close to Andarawewa about deforestation activities taking place in the area.

“I immediately informed the area Forest Department, the Mahaweli Authority, and the relevant Divisional Secretary to investigate the matter,” he said.

He denied any involvement in the displacement of people from Andarawewa and added “there seems to be a political agenda behind these accusations. I have not instructed anyone to remove residents from this village, nor do I have the authority to do so.

He emphasised that the NPP government, he represents, strongly opposes any form of racism or attempts to destabilize the country.

“Our government stands for unity. However that does not mean anyone can arbitrarily clear forest reserves. Such actions must be investigated and addressed by the authorities.”

The MP also refuted claims that he told Sinhala residents to hand over their lands to Tamil people.

He said “the confusion likely stems from a statement made by TNA Provincial Councillor T. Raviharan, who visited the area the day after I did.

Councillor Raviharan was not reachable.

“His comments have unfortunately been attributed to me,” Jegatheeswaran said adding that Raviharan had also approached the Mahaweli Authority L-zone directly.

He reiterated that the NPP government did not support racist narratives and that the current allegations could be a part of a broader smear campaign.

“Every citizen of this country has the right to live peacefully and in harmony,” he concluded.