Mannar joins North-East protests for return of military occupied lands

A demonstration was held in Mannar on Friday demanding the immediate return of ancestral lands to their owners and expressing solidarity with Tamils across the North-East who have been campaigning for years to reclaim land still occupied by the Sri Lankan state and its armed forces.

The protest took place at around 10am on 7 August in front of the Mannar town roundabout and was organised by Kaani Ilantha Makkalin Kural, the Voice of the People who lost their lands, together with the Mannar Social and Economic Development Organisation.

Demonstrators voiced support for those engaged in long-running struggles to reclaim ancestral lands in Valikamam North in Jaffna, Keppapulavu in Mullaitivu, and Mayilathamadu–Mathavanai in Batticaloa.

Landowners from Mannar whose properties remain under the control of the Sri Lankan armed forces joined the demonstration alongside local villagers, civil society representatives, human rights activists and members of the public, including people who had travelled from other parts of the North.

Protesters held placards demanding the return of land and called on the Sri Lankan government to release occupied properties without further delay.

Speakers said much of the privately owned land still held by the Sri Lankan military is located in the North-East, particularly in Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Batticaloa and Trincomalee.

One protester accused the state of taking agricultural land and restricting access to marine resources that communities had relied on for generations.

“We are not asking the government for grants. We are simply asking for our lands to be released so that we can live,” one protester said, accusing the state of taking agricultural land and restricting access to marine resources on which communities depended on for generations. “We are simply asking for them back so that we can live on our own.”

Another young protester criticised the continued use of occupied civilian land by the military, saying some areas had been converted into grounds for sports and recreation, while other lands were being used by the armed forces for agriculture.

 “When Sinhalese people hold their heads high and say the war is over and that there is no longer any place for extremism, you are still occupying our lands using that as a pretext.” 

“There is plenty of state land where the military can carry out agriculture and generate revenue for the government. Go and do it there. Tamils will never accept the military farming lands that have belonged to our families for generations, where generations of our people have lived and cultivated.”

“They (the Sri Lankan armed forces) have separate grounds to play cricket, football, basketball and volleyball in the occupied lands. But we, the third generation born and raised here, can only stand by and watch.”

“Can anyone from the other language-speaking community live the life that we Tamils are living — without our lands and searching for our relatives?” 

Another demonstrator said displaced families had been left dependent on others for shelter, while the armed forces continued to use their lands for economic activities.

“Our people have been left on the streets and in other peoples homes without their lands, while the military has taken those lands and is using them for its own livelihoods.” 

Speakers stressed that the protest was being conducted democratically and said the continued occupation of land had deprived families of the resources they traditionally relied on for their livelihoods.

They said the loss of land had left many families unable to secure a stable income, while others continued to benefit from the use of lands that did not belong to them, creating a widening socio-economic divide.

One demonstrator accused the Sri Lankan government of deceiving affected communities through repeated bureaucratic meetings held under the guise of reparations or finding solutions.

The protester pointed to the experiences of families of the forcibly disappeared and communities affected by disasters, questioning whether repeated discussions and promises would ever deliver meaningful redress.

The Mannar demonstration comes amid a wave of land protests across the Tamil homeland, as Tamil communities continue to demand the return of ancestral lands held by the Sri Lankan military.

In Valikamam North, displaced landowners have sustained separate protest campaigns, including weekly demonstrations in Myliddy and Sunday protests in Palaly, over lands that have remained under military occupation for more than three decades.

Earlier this month, Vasavilan residents launched their own recurring protest, becoming the third community in Valikamam North to sustain demonstrations against the military occupation of civilian land.

In Mullaitivu, Keppapulavu residents have continued their renewed campaign for the release of 59.5 acres of ancestral residential land belonging to 55 families and 100 acres of Middle Class Allotment land belonging to four families.

In Batticaloa, Tamil farmers in Mayilathamadu–Mathavanai have continued their struggle for traditional grazing lands, where communities have faced years of land grabs, violence and state-backed settlement.

The protests have placed growing scrutiny on the National People’s Power government’s commitments to Tamil voters. Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake has previously declared that “land belonging to the people should rightfully remain with them”, while his government came to power pledging the return of land to its owners. Those assurances now stand in contrast to the government’s stated plans for military-held land in the North-East.

Last month, Sri Lanka’s Deputy Defence Minister Aruna Jayasekara told parliament that land within High Security Zones considered necessary for “national security” would not be returned, and said the government was proceeding with the permanent acquisition of a further 1,661 acres in Valikamam North for military infrastructure.

The announcement has sharpened questions over whether the NPP intends to honour the commitments it made to Tamil voters, whose support helped the party secure an unprecedented electoral breakthrough across the island.