NAFSO Women Leaders meet Leaders at SNEHA at Nagapattinam

Leaders of National Women Federation, lead by Lavena Hasanthi, the women coordinator of NAFSO met the leaders of SNEHA in Naga[attinam on 24th October. Jesurethinam Christy, the coordinator of Coastal Action Network lead the discussion and shared their valuable experiences of the struggle against the Nuclear Power Plant i Koodankulam which is one of the most hazardous projects in the coastal communities. This is one of the possible threats among others to the small scale fisher communities in Tamil Nadu and also in Northern SL too. Jesurethinam shared in her presentation, "SNEHA supposed to be an organization fight for the rights of coastal communities and ensure their sustainable livelihoods. Nuclear power plants are not meant for the development of the poor and marginalized rather those are about to run with the cost of poor and marginalized communities wiping out them from their ancestral lands and coasts. We expect the communities will take this battle forward as they are the victims of the such development." Adding to what Jesurethinam shared, Laxamann Thamarajina, a woman leader representing Poonthalir women federation in Jaffna in the SL team shared, "We are also losing our original lands hence lose our customary rights and the GOSL is not pay genuine attention to release the captured and occupied lands by military and other development purposes. Our attempt as National Women Federation under the banner of NAFSO to fight to get back our land snd coastal areas. We fought 25 years and will continue further till we get the land.