Another pledge to free army-held Point Pedro post office, as land releases stall

The Deputy Minister of Mass Media, Kaushalya Ariyaratne, has assured that steps will be taken soon to release the land and building of the Point Pedro Post Office, which remains under Sri Lankan military control, during a meeting with senior postal officials of the Northern Province.

Ariyaratne, who was on an official visit to Jaffna, toured the Jaffna Postal Complex and held a discussion at the office of the Deputy Postmaster General for the Northern Province, where she was briefed on the needs and challenges of the regions postal service. The release of the militarised Point Pedro post office was raised during the discussion.

Responding, Ariyaratne said the Vanni District MP Thurairasa Ravikaran had submitted a letter regarding the release of the building, and assured that she would look into the matter. It would be discussed at the Jaffna District Coordinating Committee meeting and then brought before the governments high-level development committee, she said, after which measures would be taken to release the building.

The Point Pedro Post Office building, opened in 1971, became non-operational during the armed conflict, and has remained under the control of the Sri Lankan military ever since.

The assurance, contingent on the outcome of two separate committees, follows a well-worn pattern. Successive governments have promised for years to hand back civilian land and buildings held by the military across the North-East, only for much of it to remain occupied more than 17 years after the war ended.

Just weeks ago the Deputy Minister of Defence pledged to release land in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi, even as he confirmed to parliament that a further 1,661 acres in the North-East would be permanently seized and never returned.

Displaced landowners in Valikamam North, meanwhile, have kept up weekly protests at Myliddy and Palaly Junction for months, saying repeated official commitments have gone unhonoured.

The post office is itself one of several sites in Point Pedro still held by the armed forces.

Last week, the Point Pedro Urban Council resolved to stage a large-scale protest in August demanding the removal of the towns military camps, including an army camp at the Point Pedro Jetty, metres from the town centre and its schools, and a naval camp at Munai encompassing the historic lighthouse and Munai Beach, with the mayor accusing the authorities of failing to act despite pledges made a year ago.