A local environmentalist claims that the Wilpattu forests were cleared by the State Timber Corporation and not by Muslims as alleged by social media.

Sri Lankan environmentalist Thilak Kariyawasam addressing, President of Lanka Organic Agriculture Movement a discussion forum on Wilpattu at Ramada Hotel, joined by Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen.

“As environmentalists, we should not talk only about displacement of a certain ethnic group but everyone” said Kariyawasam, the Ministry said in a statement.

Kariyawasam pointed out that “Whenever the Wilpattu issue is raised there is no opportunity to highlight the other side of it. Facebook heroes who do not know where Wilpattu is located are promoting this issue".
He further added that "Wilpattu is important in Sri Lanka history. Sri Lanka’s first king, King Wijeya landed in Arippu, which is part of Wilpattu. Then he created the first settlement, also in Wilpattu.
According to Mahavamsa too, by year 1294, pearl fishery industry was practiced in this area –Marichchikatti-and it was Arabs who were involved and were managing it using Muslim rituals”.

Forest conservation officials mistook these lands as part of Wilpattu forest and also gazetted, by mistake. The officials now admit this to be a mistake and released 1080 acres back, allowing timber to be removed by State Timber Corporation. The trees were removed not by Muslims but by State Timber Corporation, but Muslims were accused on this. As environmentalists, we should not talk only about displacement of a certain ethnic group but everyone. What we need to focus on is about resettling the displaced people and not about who removed the trees” he further noted.

Minister of Industry and Commerce and Vanni District MP Rishad Bathiudeen, addressing the event stated that “No government has come forward to resettle the Northern IDPs. Even when they returned after three decades of displacement, they found their settlements were taken over by forests and there were no livelihoods for them as well.”

Source – Ministry of Industry & Commerce