Weli Oya
වැලිඔය மணலாறு | |
|---|---|
  Weli Oya | |
| Coordinates: 9°07′0″N 80°48′0″E / 9.11667°N 80.80000°E | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | Northern |
| District | Mullaithivu District |
| DS Division | Weli Oya |
Weli Oya,[1](Sinhala: වැලිඔය, romanized: Weli Oya) (Tamil: மணலாறு, romanized: Maṇalāṟu) is a Sinhalese colony area in Mullaithivu District, Sri Lanka formerly known as Manal Aru. Weli Oya has been affected by the Sri Lankan civil war and government Sinhala colonization programs.
Weli Oya was traditionally known as Manal Aru before the launch of government Sinhala colonization programs and the 1984 Manal Aru massacres, where the Tamil population was progressively driven out.[2] A body of running water moving to a lower level in a channel on land is called Manal Aru in Tamil. It is hemmed between Anuradhapura, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee and Vavuniya Districts. It is called the "border village" (s) since the territory north of Weli Oya was previously under the control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
In 2012, there were 18 villages in Weli Oya, comprising 3,336 families and 11,189 people, over 99% being of Sinhalese ethnicity.[3][4]
- ^ World Food Program. "Rapid assessment in Welioya, Anuradhapura" (PDF). World Food Program.
- ^ By V.Thangavelu. "At Manal Aru ( Weli Oya ) Sinhalese State Ethnically Cleansed Tamils". NamNadu-2000. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.
- ^ "Statistical Information". Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka, 2012" (PDF). www.statistics.gov.lk.