Sampur Thermal Power Plant: Cleansing for power
June 1st, 2008
Ethnic cleansing? No thanks, just cleansing for power
By Namini Wijedasa
Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) sources said last week that the proposed thermal power plant in Sampur will proceed on schedule despite strong rumblings over civilian displacement.
“A feasibility study being conducted by the National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd (NTPC) is due to be finished by December,” said a CEB official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The plant, which is estimated to cost US$500 million, is expected to be running by 2012.
The inhabitants of Sampur were forced to leave in 2006 after fierce battles between the military and army. They are now living in camps for the displaced. The government subsequently declared Sampur and surrounding areas as a High Security Zone (HSZ) and offered to relocate the displaced.
Sources in the East say most Sampur residents had fled the area in a panic, leaving behind documents including proof of ownership of lands. “The authorities are now pretending that these families had been planted there by the LTTE,” said one source, requesting anonymity. “Their houses have been flattened. But they had lived there for generations. The village is in Dutch records and Rajasinghe II, who built a replacement for Koneswaram Temple in Thampalakamam, assigned Sampur to perform certain services at the temple.”
Bad alternatives
Rajan Hoole from the University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) pointed out that Sampur has developed ground water resources and had good agricultural land. “There is no really good reason to site the power station there,” said the official earlier quoted. “Nothing here has been discussed with the local people. No one is bothered about how it would affect the locality. The people were simply driven out by shelling and the government is not even bothered about how many it killed.”
“The people should be consulted and convinced that they would get a fair deal out of this,” Hoole maintained. “Everything about this is lies and dishonesty. On the one hand, the government maintains that no one would be displaced. Then it sends officials to meet the displaced in refugee camps and sign up for resettlement elsewhere purely on the basis of untested promises.”
It is learnt that persons displaced from Sampur have refused resettlement in the alternative sites offered to them. “This is because the alternatives offered are useless,” Hoole said. “One is Raalkuli, which goes under water when the Mahaweli overflows. The other place to the south doesn’t have water resources.”
Going ahead
Despite these concerns, it is evident that the government will proceed with the project-and that the Indian Government’s NTPC has settled on Sampur.
“The project is a joint venture between NTPC and Ceylon Electricity Board,” said Dinkar Asthana, Press and Information Counsellor at the Indian High Commission in Colombo. “Various locations regarding the choice of the project site have been under discussion. Our position has been that it should be decided on the basis of techno-economic feasibility. You may like to address all questions to the ministry of power and energy of Sri Lanka and the Ceylon Electricity Board.”
In 2007, Indian High Commission Spokesperson Nagma Mallick said: “It would be inaccurate to say a site in Sampur has been shown to NTPC or selected by NTPC in Sampur.” Amidst heavy protests from the LTTE and Tamil National Alliance over the selection of Sampur, another Indian source said at the time: “Of course, Sampur is out. It’s a controversial area that is not well located.”
CEB officials insisted that Sampur, which is in the southern part of the Trincomalee bay, was the most suitable site. “The government has a lot of other development plans for the upper bay, including tourist projects and a proposed expansion of the airport for civilian traffic,” said one official. “That is the main reason why focus was shifted from other sites to Sampur.”
Feasibility
“Large ships will have to bring imported coal to Sampur and the location is ideal because the sea is deep enough to let the vessels come quite near to the shore,” this official said, explaining why Sampur was deemed the most feasible spot. “In that sense, this site is far better than certain others we have been talking about from 1985.”
Asked about the displacement of civilians, this issue has to be resolved by the government. “In any case, a High Security Zone has been declared and nobody can live within the area, irrespective of the project,” he said.
Military Spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said that Sampur was a strategic location that had to be protected from the LTTE. “Even earlier, before we liberated Sampur, they had moved their heavy weapons, artillery and mortars into Sampur area,” he pointed out. “This is because from there they can engage any ship coming into and out of the Trincomalee harbour. They can disturb locations like Prima and engage almost all the jetties from Sampur with a heavy weapon.”
They can also operate their boats while suicide cadres can come into the harbour without being noticed. They did these things before and that’s why we took Sampur.” Asked why civilians cannot return to Sampur, he said: “If civilians go and live there, they will also slowly creep into the area. And they will stay like sleeping cadres with those families and start operating again.”
Angry
But detractors are furious. “In the first place, this project is environmentally contentious,” said one of the sources cited above. “Also, the land declared as a HSZ in Mutur East is about 20,000 acres, displacing about 16,000 people.”
“For a government which says it is devolving power to the East, there has been absolutely no consultation with the affected people,” Hoole criticised. “This is a disease, a form of communally based kleptomania for land that could be used by minorities. The government has taken enough land to build more than 50 coal power stations around Trincomalee. There is no real need to displace people in Sampur.”
“The people of Sampur have suffered enough under the LTTE which conscripted their children and had scores of them killed to prove its manly valour,” he stresesd. “Surely, these people deserve better from a government that claims to be theirs?”
Why India is involved
The Times of India said in an article titled ‘Electricity to power regional diplomacy’ on 10 May 2008 that starting off power projects is an important strategy of Indian diplomacy. “after connectivity, electricity is becoming a vital instrument in India’s foreign policy in the region.” writes journalist Indrani Bagchi.
She says this is part of an economic diplomacy project conceived by Jairam Ramesh, Pranab Mukherjee and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon. “It involves helping neighbours like Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, (and who knows, Pakistan at a later stage) build power projects which will take care of local and Indian needs,” the journalist notes. She quotes senior government sources as saying that, “in many ways, it promises to shift the paradigm of regional diplomacy and regional development”.
In Sri Lanka, the government has just cleared two power plants in Sampur by NTPC, which will also provide power to a manufacturing Special Economic Zone by Mahindra & Mahindra.
“Meanwhile, India is already working on an undersea link with Sri Lanka that could help transmit power to Tamil Nadu,” Bagchi says. “At a cost of Rs 2,200 crore, the link will move from Anuradhapura to Talaimannar and then by submarine cable to Rameshwaram and onward to Madurai.” [lakbimanews.lk]
Entry Filed under: transCurrents
8 Comments Add your own
1. Sudalaimaadan. | June 2nd, 2008 at 9:06 am
To anybody who happens to read….
Thamilnadu is only a state within the Union Territory of India,and is not influential in matters of foreign policy etc.It cannot stop the Sampoor power plant project.
Further India wants a strong foothold in Srilanka,while.Srilanka expects by ‘allocating’ Trincomalee to Indian interests it could secure the vital instalation such as the Navy base Prima flour factory etc.
Whether the L.T.T.E.could dislodge the Srilankan forces completely from Sampoor…no civilian can predict.
But on humatarian grounds and India being the largest democratic country in the World,it has a moral obligation towards the displaced inhabitants of Sampoor,to ensure they are adequately compensated. before commencement of the project.
The Jaffna Thamil diaspora who are financing the L.T.T.E. are they concerned?
Finally the power crisis has reached breaking point in Srilanka.Since fierce opposition is not possible unlike Noraicholai,the government will overcome such resistence with ease.
There is only one chance of scrapping this project.If there is a ceasefire… in the near future and if the L.T.T.E. and the government is geniune ,then the scrapping of the Sampoor power Plant may be put forward as a pre condition.
If not the inhabitants of Sampoor are going to loose Sampoor for ever!.
2. Devinda Fernando | June 4th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Ethnic Cleansing???? How is it Ethnic Cleansing? Are these IDPs being forced off the Island? They are just being relocated to make way for Development of the East. Once this powerplant is built it is going to create Jobs, income and Prosperity for the people of the area.
3. Selva | June 4th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Only LTTE paved the way for Mahinda to ethnic cleanse the ancent Tamil village. Earlier the LTTE did the same thing in the Nothern Trincomalle District during JRs time. They were keeping land mines where it was easy to run and hide and JRs Government buldozerd the Tamils’ homes and colonized the Sinhalese. Also JR released the Sinhalese Mobs from the Jail and with their family, about 20000 were colonized in Welioya. Now the LTTE gave the chance to Mahinda.
Now everybody new LTTE can’t clear the whole of Northeast, at least if they can clear the Sampur from the Military and go for negotiation it will be something. Otherwise Pirabaharan has to quit fighting and pave the way for the others to do something.
4. Raj | June 4th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
Sampur is a beautiful village in the Kottiyar bay of Trincomalee. The name Sampur emerged with a real Tamil meaning of ‘Sampooranam’ (Full of resources). Since independence, Sampur did not get any single development project from the Sri Lankan government because it is a pure Tamil belt in the resourceful Trincomalee district. Sampur people experienced enormous difficulties since 1983. Sampur Mahavidyalayam was established in 1910.There are 19 schools, 19 Hindu temples and 59 tanks in the Sampur region. All are targeting Trnicmalee harbour which is a physical element but none of them is focusing the human being. Trincomalee harbour may be a natural harbur in the world but Sampur people did not and (most probably) will not get any benefit from their harbour. Now, no one is in the world to rescue these innocent people from the human made Tsunami because they are Tamils people.
5. Selva | June 7th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Replace coal by harnessing wind and wave power
Thanks for your honestly written article, you are great. While the projet in Noraicholai is being carried out and both the governments has agreed to intergrate the National grids of both the countries this project is definitely for ethnic cleansing only. Our total electricity production is 2434 MWs and Tamilnadu states’ total production is about 11000MWs and in that 3100MW is prodiced by Wind Turbines. Total production of wind energy produced in California state is 2361 MWs and they started about 10 years before Tamilnadu. In Sri Lanka heavy wind blowing areas like Tamil Nadu is Southern province, Putlam District and mannar District and we will be able to produce at least 10000 MW very easily. The wind blows only 6 months. So because we are intergrated witn Indian grid we can give the surplus electricity to India during heavy blow and borrow it from them when there in no wind. In adition to that we have wave power around our Island which is eroting our coast. Wave power is 1000 times more powerful than wind per sq.meter so even if we design a plant and produce locally it could produce lot of electricity. In adition to that the government knew we are going to produce natural gas from the oil field in the Cavery region in couple of years. Gas and Nuclear powered plants are non poluting fuels used in electic production. America is the largest poluter of the atmosphere. Nearly 80% of the electricity produced in America is by coal. That is why they are refucing to comply with Kyoto protocol. Now the fast melting of Northpol ice has made them to compromise. Recently President bush has hinted about coporating to stop global warming. The reason is Nothern ice acted as a natural barrier from Ex USSR. If the water become easily navigatabele Russian Subs and war ships could line up along the nothern canedian border. So it is important to protect the ice from melting. So if America comply with Kyoto protocol they will force other countries to switch to non-poluting energy like nuclear but they will not allow us to process it in our own . We have lot of Thorium in Hambanthota. India has already tried in developing Thorium as nuclear fuel and succeded. Once they have started using it we too can use our own thorium with theie help. Like the jurnalist wrote Indians has no idea to build 50 power plants in Sampur and export it to India. They want to switch to nuclear and natural gas. That is why they are trying to put the gas pipe line from Iran.
A Danish company,the producer of best wind turbine of the world is having a factory in Tamilnadu to make for low cost. Now in Denmark they make above 2MW windmills only. Below 2MW are made in Tamilnadu only. When a german company wanted to buy 2MW plants when they were told thay have Made in India label they were reluctant to buy it but they are almost like made in Denmark. We must be luckey to be so close to Tamilnadu coast because transporting those plant even as parts by even ship is very difficult because they are so huge. We don’t need even ships to transport. Parts by parts we can transport them from Tutucorin to puttlam by Catamaran only.
As my friend Devinda said the government is not starting this project to develop East. East is usin only 4% of Electricity, ie 87MWs. They are going to take it to Anuradapura and connect it to the National grid only. Caol plat in Noraicholai wouldn”
t affect the envioment much like Trinco because it is an open land and the wind blows heavyly. Trinco is a populated area and not much wind. The gas emitted from the coal power plant contains Co2.Co,Mercury,Arsenic Zinc,Thorium,Uraniam etc. When the people breath this air these poisonous substances are going to remain in their lungs and cause cancer and Athsma. When the rain falls it will be acid rain and every agricultural product is going to be poisonous.
If there is no obtion and they have to use only coal means the best place is the corner of Yala National park because the Southwest wind and Northeast wind will take tha smoke into the sea.
6. KINGSLEY | June 8th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Where the hell are we heading to? If we take Sampur as an example the future is very bleak for the whole country indeed. Now that the Tamils and Muslims are set against each other, they will be busy killing each other while there will be unprecendented land-grab from the south and the so called scholars re-writing history. Whether the Tamils and Muslims would realize this before it is too late is a big question.
‘Hind-sight” is always 20-twenty!
7. Selva | June 10th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Hi Kingsley,
We are heading towards extinction only. Piraba is helping the governments to accelerate the ethnic cleansing for the last 23 years.
8. Arthur | August 16th, 2008 at 5:49 am
Driving Tamil people out of Sampur amounts to ethnic cleansing.This is part of the grandiose plan of successive Srilankan governments to Sinhalise Tricomalee district and the Eastern province.
Leave a Comment
Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed