The Sri Lankan army has said it occupies only 1300 acres of private land in the North-East, contradicting even conservative estimates of land occupation from other sources.
In October, the Mullaitivu district secretariat said that almost 5000 acres of privately-owned land was under military occupation, although this figure referred to the ‘tri-forces’ i.e. the air force and the navy, as well as the army.
Similarly, Tamil and Muslim land activists in Amparai said in September that 3000 acres of private land remained occupied in the district.
As well as pointing out continued occupation by the ‘tri-forces’, particularly high profile cases of land-grabs by the Sri Lankan navy over the past year, Tamil groups in the North-East have criticised the government’s failure to acknowledge calls for demilitarisation which includes the release of public lands.
Local groups in the North-East have also pointed to land-grabs by other state agencies such as the Forest Department and Archaeology Department.
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