Residents of Orrani-Kanagar in Pottuvil in Amparai continued their protest for the 15th day on Wednesday, calling for their land to be released from military occupation.
Some of the villagers from Orrani-Kanagar in Pottuvil had been displaced as far back as 1990, as the Sri Lankan military took control of the area.
When the locals returned to their land after the end of the armed conflict in 2009, they found that the Sri Lankan military and Wildlife Department had forcibly occupied their village.
They have since raised this issue with several Sri Lankan authorities, including the Divisional Secretariat, officers from the Wildlife Department, the Eastern Provincial Council and the Prime Minister’s Office, but their land remains occupied.
The protestors state that projects currently underway by the Wildlife Department are blocking the return to their homes.
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