Mangollai has been a military high-security zone area for 33 years. It’s located in the Kangesanturai area of Sri Lanka’s Jaffna district. Massive military camps were set up here on people’s lands.
The Sri Lankan army left these areas last June. However, as the area has not been officially handed over by the army, people are unable to resettle.
All the houses in the liberated areas are damaged and unusable. Dense forests surround the houses.
It was observed that the Sri Lankan army was using people’s houses. The walls of the houses are inscribed with letters indicating military units also military reference books and military documents are found in people’s homes.
The military camps near people’s homes weren’t removed and borders of the military camps are fenced with barbed wire.
There is a massive bunker, it was located the army camp. The used helmets, water bottles, mask used during chemical bomb attack, military uniforms, and military shoes were found inside the bunker.
All the wells and cesspits of the civilian houses that had been under military control for 33 years have been closed by army and concerns were raised there could be human burials.
And thieves in the area broke into houses and stole doors, windows, their posts, and steel bars. Although the police and Divisional Secretariat were informed and requested to take further action to control thieves to safeguard people’s homes and properties,
There is a Hindu temple called Mangollai Gnana Vairavar Temple, which has been under military control for the past 33 years. The Sri Lankan army has attempted to convert this Hindu temple into a Buddhist temple.
An idol of Buddha is kept under the pipal tree in front of the Saiva temple. The army has worshipped Buddha statues without removing the idols of Hindu statues that were inside the temples.
It is not usual to place the status of gods who belong to other religions in Hindu temples. Therefore, the Tamil people consider this an act of destroying their religious identity.
The people of the town are working together to restore the temple. Even when the public requested that the army remove the Buddha statue placed by the army in the Hindu temple, The Buddha statue has not been removed yet.
More than three months after the Sri Lankan army released their land to the public, the government has not taken any official steps to resettle the villagers of Mangollai. People are demanding that the concerned parties take immediate action to resettle.
It’s an ongoing story that the lands of the people who were captured due to the civil war in Sri Lanka 33 years ago are still under military control even after 14 years of the end of the war.
