Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

Government's 90% land release claim 'not true' says TNA

Keppapulavu families demand lands. December 2018 

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has rejected the Sri Lankan government's claim this week that 90% of land occupied by the military has been released as "not true". 

Acknowledging that land had been released, TNA MP M A Sumanthiran said, "but again after ten long years still substantial swaths of land are being held by the Army, Navy and the Air Force."

"The Police are also occupying some private properties. These lands must be given back to their rightful owners. In some places like Keppapilavu, people have been demonstrating for around four years. They claim to have returned more than 90% to privately-owned land but that is not true."

"The President at the time of his election in 2015, gave a written pledge that all private lands would be returned to their rightful owners. The claim that 90% of the private lands have been released is not true," he said. 

Even if that is true, 10% of lands were yet to be returned, he reportedly stressed. 

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.