Release All Lands Held By Army: TNA Tells President

AUGUST 28, 2018

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) complained to President Maithripala Sirisena that despite nine years having passed since the war ended, the armed forces continue to occupy agricultural and residential lands.

The TNA made this observation at a meeting of the Presidential Task Force on the Development of the North and East yesterday (27th) at the Presidential Secretariat. Several ministers, government MPs and all TNA parliamentarians attended the meeting which was presided over by Sirisena.

The TNA, responding to the President’s claim that 88% of the land held by the Army when his government assumed office had already been released, pointed out that 75 acres of private land in Keppapilavu, Mullaitivu, was still held by the Army and discussions with the President and high ranking Army officials had not met with any success.

The TNA delegation also claimed that people were ‘greatly harassed by the actions of the Forest Department, Wildlife Department and the Archeological Department’.

According to a media statement released by the party, ‘the Forest Department and the Wildlife Department are planting boundary stones and taking possession of lands that had been abandoned by people during the war and which had thereafter gone to jungle’.

They called for a meeting attended by the heads of the above three departments, the Land Commissioner, and the Government Agents of the districts in the North and East to address this issue and resolve the aforesaid problems of the people.

The full text of the media release is given below:

The Meeting of the Presidential Task Force on the Development of the North and East took place yesterday (27.08.2018) at the Presidential Secretariat. The meeting was presided over by His Excellency the President. Several ministers and government members of Parliament and Government Officials participated at the meeting. All the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Members of Parliament headed by Hon R Sampanthan the Leader of the Opposition and the Tamil National Alliance, including Hon Mavai Senathirajah Leader of the ITAK, Hon Selvam Adaikkalanathan Leader of the TELO and Hon Tharmaligham Siddarthan Leader of the PLOTE and all other district Parliamentarians other than Hon M.A. Sumanthiran Jaffna District, and Hon. Sivashakthi Ananthan Vanni District were present. Mr. Sumanthiran is out of the country. 

Mr. Sampanthan Thanked the President for inviting the TNA to the meeting and stated that he would raise some fundamental issues. He stated, that 16 out of the 18 Tamil members of Parliament from the North and East are from the TNA and the TNA has more members from the North and East in Parliament than all other political parties put together. The democratic verdict of the people of the North and East should be respected. 

He further stated, the Tamil people were very badly affected by the devastation and the destructions that occurred during the war. 

His excellency the President stated that 88% of land held by the army when his Government assumed office has been released. 

But the fact remains even 9 years after the conclusion of the war both agricultural land and residential land lands yet continue to be in the possession of the armed forces. One glaring instance was Keppapilavu in Mullaitivu district. Where 75 acres of private land owned and possessed by local people for generations and centuries was yet held by the army. This mater has been discussed with both the President and army high-up’s several times. 

For there to be reconciliation and national integration all land belonging to the people which are now in the possession of the armed forces should be released without any further delay. 

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