Seventeen years on, thousands of acres still occupied, MP tells parliament

The Sri Lankan government cannot continue to hide behind national security to justify its occupation of civilian land in the North-East, the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam has told parliament, calling for all privately owned land to be returned to its rightful owners immediately and without conditions.

Raising the issue with the Deputy Minister of Defence, the Batticaloa District MP said that nearly 17 years after the end of the war thousands of acres of civilian land remain under military occupation with no clear plan for their return, and pressed for details on the total extent of private and state land held by the armed forces in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, the land released since the present government took office, the extent still occupied, and the timeline for returning it.

The minister defended the continued military presence on grounds including security, maritime surveillance, narcotics prevention and disaster management. Rasamanickam said such justifications could not be used indefinitely to deny civilians their land.

Why are wartime justifications still being used?

"The Minister repeatedly referred to High Security Zones. Yet, at the recent Defence Consultative Committee meeting, it was acknowledged that areas declared as High Security Zones during the war do not necessarily need to continue under that designation today. If that is the Governments own position, why are wartime justifications still being used to retain civilian lands?" he asked.

He rejected the ministers claim that civilians have access to religious sites in the Palaly and Myliddy areas, covered by Grama Niladhari Divisions J252 to J256 and J246, J248 and J257.

"The reality is very different. There is no access to St. Sebastians Church, Myliddy Roman Catholic School or Vasavilan Sri Velupillai Vidyalayam. In fact, even the original site of St. Sebastians Church no longer exists. It is misleading to suggest that normal access has been restored."

Rasamanickam also questioned the security rationale for the scale of the military presence in the North.

"If preventing narcotics trafficking and carrying out disaster management are the reasons for maintaining such a heavy military presence in the North, then those responsibilities should be shared equally along the Southern and Western coastlines as well. National security cannot become a justification for permanently militarising one part of the country."

Only 11 people deserve justice

Turning to the ministers recent visit to the Northern Province, the MP noted that of 44 people who had applied for the return of their land, only 11 had been told theirs would be released.

"On what basis has the Government decided that only 11 people deserve justice while the remaining 44 continue to be denied their lands? What is the timeline for resolving the remaining claims?"

He also challenged a proposal in Kilinochchi District under which private land could be acquired for around 8 million rupees, because military structures had been built on it.

"Who authorised the military to construct permanent buildings on private land? The owners did not consent to this. How can the Government now justify retaining those lands simply because public money has been spent on unlawful construction? That is neither lawful nor fair."

District by district

Rasamanickam pressed for detail across the region. On Valikamam North, he asked what measures had been taken to complete the release of civilian land, noting that parts of 16 Grama Niladhari Divisions and three entire divisions remain unreleased. He sought information on the Jaffna District protests at Myliddy and Palaly and on the recovery of land associated with the Myliddy Kannikan Matha Church, Vasavilan Senguntha Vinayagar Temple, Mannampirai Pillaiyar Temple, St. Sebastians Church, the Myliddy Roman Catholic School and the Vasavilan Sri Veluppillai lands.

In Kilinochchi District, he asked what steps were being taken over land affecting the expansion of the Karaichchi Pradeshiya Sabha, land in Division 551, the Iranamadu Kanakambigai Amman Temple, Iranamadu Junction and land affecting the Department of Agriculture. In Mullaitivu, he sought details on the release of the remaining 59 acres of civilian land at Keppapilavu.

The MP said the people of the North-East were not seeking special treatment but the restoration of rights denied for decades.

"The Government must move beyond wartime rhetoric and selective land releases. It must present a transparent, time-bound plan to release all remaining civilian lands, restore access to places of worship and public institutions, and return private property to its rightful owners without further delay."

The exchange comes amid sustained protests across the North-East over occupied land. Landowners in Valikamam North have maintained weekly demonstrations at Myliddy and Palaly Junction for months, while families in Keppapilavu have protested since 2017 and repeatedly rejected offers of alternative land.

The deputy defence minister told parliament last month that a further 1,661 acres in the North-East would be permanently acquired for military infrastructure and would not be returned, before pledging days later to release land in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi.