Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake claimed that occupied land in the North will be returned to its "rightful owners" during his visit to Jaffna on Friday.
According to the president's media division, Dissanayake said that "land belonging to the people should rightfully remain with them" even though vast swathes of land in the North-East remains occupied by the Sri Lankan military.
He went on to add:
“The President highlighted that while the government has the authority to acquire land anywhere in the country for development projects or security purposes, it is imperative that alternative land is provided to those affected."
Since the end of the armed conflict in May 2009, successive Sri Lankan governments have used the Forestry and Archaeology departments to intensify the Sinhalisation of the Tamil homeland. The Sri Lankan state continues to grab lands from Tamils and Muslims to alter the demography of the North-East.
During this visit, Dissanayake also reportedly pledged that the 'presidential palace' in Jaffna will be "fully repurposed for a project of greater significance". The five-star luxury 'palace' was built by Sri Lanka's military in 2012 on land that was seized from local Tamils in the Naguleshwaram and Valikamam area of Kankesanthurai in Jaffna.
Dissanayake made these remarks during a meeting at the Jaffna District Secretariat on January 31. Meanwhile, unemployed Tamil graduates protested outside the secretariat calling on Dissanayake and his government to address the lack of job opportunities for university graduates. Dissanayake reportedly said that new recruitments for the state sector in the Northern province will be carried out "without political interference" but made no further comments on how these will be implemented.
Tamils remain skeptical of Dissanayake's comments who has already backtracked on pledges he made during his presidential election campaign, such as repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Previous promises to return occupied lands by former Sri Lankan governments have often been met with delays or partial fulfilment. Many lands remain under military control and have been repurposed for military-run businesses, tourism including resorts, and agriculture.