The Sri Lankan navy’s attempt to occupy land owned by Tamil locals in Jaffna have been temporarily thwarted by protests led by Tamil politicians and locals.
The Sri Lankan land department were set to survey the public lands in the Mandaitivu area of the Velanai Divisional Secretariat Jaffna – where a Sri Lankan naval camp has been set up – but were not allowed to do so due to the protests held in front of the land survey site, earlier today.
Tamil politicians, such as Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) general secretary and parliamentarian Selvarajah Kajendran, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) members including the former Northern Provincial Council member Vinthan Kanagaratnam, and other locals in the area all came together to stage a sit-in protest in front of where the land surveying was proposed.
Since the governance of Gotabaya Rajapaksa last year there has been an upsurge in land-related concerns and militarisation with a similar protest held against Sri Lankan navy occupation efforts of Tamil-owned land in Mathagal, Jaffna. Earlier this month, an Eastern Provincial Council member urged the Sri Lankan government to stop ‘premeditated Sinhala occupations’ in Batticaloa in response to the illegal occupation efforts across the district. Last month, a TNA MP who warned against Sinhala land grabs in Batticaloa was fired for his comments.
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.