Tamil families continue Keppapilavu protest for release of occupied land

Tamil residents of Keppapilavu in the Karaithuraipattu Divisional Secretariat Division of Mullaitivu continued their renewed protest for the 37th day, demanding the release of ancestral lands still occupied by the Sri Lankan military.

Residents said 59.5 acres of ancestral residential land belonging to 55 families, along with 100 acres of Middle Class Allotment land belonging to four families, remain under military control in Keppapilavu.

The landowners have been engaged in a peaceful continuous protest, urging the authorities to return their privately owned lands and allow them to resettle in their traditional places of residence.

Their demand is the immediate release of the occupied lands and the restoration of their right to return and live in their ancestral homes.

Despite the protest continuing for 37 days, residents said no permanent solution has been provided by the authorities. They have vowed to continue their struggle until their lands are returned.

The renewed protest follows years of demonstrations by Keppapilavu families, who have repeatedly demanded the return of lands seized by the Sri Lankan military after 2009. 

Tamil parliamentarians Sivagnanam Shritharan and Thurairasa Ravikaran visited the protest site last month as the campaign reached its 25th day, expressing support for the residents and reaffirming solidarity with their demands. Ravikaran also raised the issue in Sri Lankan Parliament, stating that the military continues to occupy 59.5 acres of ancestral residential land belonging to 55 families and 100 acres of Middle Class Allotment land belonging to four families.

Residents previously launched a hunger strike outside the Sri Lanka Army’s 59 Division headquarters, reiterating their demand for the return of the occupied land and rejecting claims that they had accepted alternative land allocations.

The Keppapilavu land struggle remains one of the longest-running campaigns against military occupation in the Tamil homeland.

Families have repeatedly said that alternative plots cannot replace their ancestral lands, homes, temples, schools, livelihoods and community spaces. The protest has continued through successive Sri Lankan governments, with residents saying repeated promises have failed to result in the full return of their lands.