Sri Lankans to Be Resettled in Anti-Separatist Move

President Junius R. Jayewardene, beset by a growing Tamil separatist movement, said today that majority Sinhalese will be settled in Sri Lanka’s predominantly Tamil Northern Province in the next two years.

Speaking at a public meeting in Anamaduwa, 100 miles from Colombo, Jayewardene said new settlements reflecting the nationwide proportion of Sinhalese to Tamils will be established throughout Sri Lanka.

“We consider Sri Lanka as one land belonging to all citizens, consisting of 75% Sinhalese and 25% other races,” he said. “As such, we will settle Sri Lankans in this proportion throughout the island on state land.”

“We will not accept the theory that certain parts of the island are the traditional homeland of the Tamils or any other race,” Jayewardene said.

The Tamils, who make up 2.5 million of the island’s 15 million people, are demanding an independent state in the northern and eastern areas which they claim as their traditional homeland.

Official sources said most of the Sinhalese had fled from the northern areas after separatist guerrillas launched an armed battle about nine years ago for a separate Tamil state.

They said the number of Sinhalese residents in the northern Jaffna Peninsula had dwindled to about 2,000 from 20,000 a few years ago.

Early last month guerrillas attacked two farms and fishing villages inhabited by Sinhalese in the Northern Province, forcing about 15,000 Sinhalese to flee.