Stop this land grab

Veddah Chief tells Court of appeal   Veddah Chief Uruwarige Wannilaeththo and the Center for Environmental Justice filed a petition in the Court of Appeal today seeking a restraining order against the move by the state to take over homelands belonging to the indigenous people and hand them over to major companies for maize cultivation.   The Minister of Wildlife, the Secretary to the Ministry of Environment, the Mahaweli Development Authority, the Directors General of the Wildlife and Forest Conservation Departments have been cited as respondents in the petition.   The petitioners, including Uruwarige Wannilaeththo, have pointed out to the Court of Appeal that the Mahaweli Development Authority (UDA) has taken over more than 5,000 acres of forest, which has been used by Sri Lanka’s indigenous population for centuries to sustain their livelihoods.