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Kilinochchi கிளிநொச்சி කිලිනොච්චිය | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Kilinochchi Railway Station | |
  Kilinochchi | |
| Coordinates:9°23′0″N80°24′31″E / 9.38333°N 80.40861°E /9.38333; 80.40861 | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | Northern |
| District | Kilinochchi |
| DS Division | Karachchi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone) |
Kilinochchi (Tamil:கிளிநொச்சி,romanized: Kiḷinocci;Sinhala:කිලිනොච්චිය,romanized: Kilinŏcciya)[1] is the main town ofKilinochchi District,Northern Province ofSri Lanka. Kilinochchi is situated at theA9 road some 100 km (62 mi) south-east ofJaffna. It was the administrative center and de facto capital of theLTTE (Tamil Tigers)[2] until 2 January 2009, when troops of theSri Lankan Army recaptured the city.
The Kilinochchi town was established in 1936 as part of a colonization project that sought to ease overpopulation and unemployment inJaffna.[3]
Kilinochchi is still part of the Jaffna electoral division and it was separated from theJaffna District in the 1980s as a new district. Most of the people living in this district are farmers and related toagricultural work. Most of the people migrated from Jaffna in the 1930s to acquire government grants for land in the region and to engage in paddy (rice) cultivation. During the 1970s, a large number of immigrants from the hill country, predominantlyIndian Tamils, settled in the town. Much of the population immigrated overseas (Europe, US, Canada, Australia, etc.) during theCivil War (1990-2009). The population has begun to rise after the end of the war.[4]
TheLTTE first took hold of the town in 1990 when the Army withdrew its garrisons from Kilinochchi. Then the area was retaken by the Army duringOperation Sathjaya in September 1996. The town again fell into the LTTE's control in September 1998 who held their administrative hub there until retreating during theBattle of Kilinochchi on 2 January 2009.[5]Security Forces Headquarters – Kilinochchi was established on June 29, 2009.
Most people living in Kilinochchi areSri Lankan Tamils andIndian Tamils.[4]
Kilinochchi is one of the major agrarian areas on the island sincepre-historic times.Iranamadu Tank, Kanakampikai Kulam (Pond), and Kilinochchi Kulam are the majorirrigation source forpaddy and other crops. However, the economy of the town has suffered in recent times due to the economic crisis, which has resulted in a lack of fertilizer and fuel, reducing crop yields.[6]
Kilinochchi is connected to theSri Lanka RailwaysNorthern Line via itsrailway station. TheA-9 Highway passes through the town, giving it direct connection with the major cities of Jaffna andKandy.
Kilinochchi is served with all Jaffna- and Colombo-based newspapers. The Jaffna-basedUthayan has a regional office in Kilinochchi.
There have been discussions of not distributing Jaffna-based newspapers in theVanni area, especiallyUthayan. Uthayan is highly critical ofinappropriate land acquisition in theJaffna peninsula and the Vanni region by the Sri Lankan Military and Government.
This district has one university faculty and several Government Colleges such as Faculty of Agriculture ofUniversity of Jaffna,Kilinochchi Central College, Hindu College, Uruthirapuram Maha Vidyalayam school, and theVaddakkachchi Maha Vidyalayam school.
