The Sri Lankan military is still occupying most seized lands despite the government handing over some lands back to its owners, the leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) R Sampanthan was quoted by Ceylon Today as telling parliament.
Highlighting lands occupied by the military in Valikaamam and Paravipachchan but that are not in active use, Mr Sampanthan asked, "why can't the army give these back to their original civilian owners?"
Pointing to the longstanding discrimination against Tamils, Mr Sampanthan said there has been no change in the discrimination against Tamils in Sri Lanka.
"Qualified Tamils are not getting government jobs," he said, calling for the government to release figures on the ethnic distribution of government jobs since the 2015 presidential election.
Highlighting the ongoing detention of the former LTTE cadres, Mr Sampanthan said the government could have done more to ensure their release of 150 cadres still in jail.
The TNA leader also stated the government had failed to consult the 18 Tamil MPs on development projects in the Tamils North-East.
See more here.
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.
