The Valikamam North Land Release Committee urged that the lands under military control over 35 years in the guise of ‘High Security Zone’ be immediately returned to their rightful owners, in line with the pledges made by the Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the National People’s Power (NPP) in their presidential and parliamentary election manifestos.
These lands encompass the villages of Keerimalai, Kankesanthurai, Thaiyiddy, Uduvil, Myliddy, Palaly, Vasavilan, Kattuvan, Kurumbasiddy, and Tholakaddy.
Fifteen years after the end of the conflict, and despite five presidential changes and four parliaments, nearly 2,900 acres of land remain unreleased—despite repeated promises.
While the recent conditional reopening of a portion of Palaly Road for daytime access on April 10, 2025, is acknowledged, it is important to note that of the 500 acres in Kankesanthurai, Myliddy, and Palaly approved for release during the 2018 good governance administration, only 50 acres have been handed over for public use. Moreover, those lands remain effectively inaccessible due to ongoing military restrictions.
The National People’s Power (NPP) pledged in its manifesto to build a new Sri Lanka rooted in equality and justice. However, six months since the presidential election and five months since the parliamentary polls, not a single new acre of land has been released. Despite the NPP’s commitment to avoid politicizing the suffering of the people and its promise of an inclusive, non-ethnic model of governance—one that even Sinhala citizens could support—the continued delay in returning these lands raises serious questions about the fulfillment of those promises.
Ahead of the upcoming local government elections on May 6, 2025, the government is being urged to immediately release all lands still held within the so-called high-security zones. In addition to this appeal, the following demands are being put forward:
1. Immediate release of all lands in Valikamam North currently held by the Sri Lankan tri-forces under the guise of a High-Security Zone.
2. Return all lands acquired since 1983 for airport expansion—lands that have seen neither development nor usage—to their rightful owners.
3. Pay special attention to areas such as the Presidential Palace and Thaiyiddy Vihara, and initiate a transparent process to restore these lands to their legitimate owners.
4. Publish a full, transparent public report detailing all government-held lands and their rightful owners.
5. Assist resettled residents by protecting their lands, defining boundaries, and providing financial support to install fencing and electricity connections, with phased implementation starting in 2025.
6. Recognizing the widespread destruction of property in these areas, the government must keep its promise of reconciliation by supporting the rebuilding or repair of homes through allocated annual budgets.
7. Take immediate steps to operationalize the Myliddy fishing harbor—built in 1981 for the Northern community and renovated in 2017—for the use of Northern fishermen.
8. Reduce the encroachment by Indian trawlers and large southern fishing vessels to safeguard the livelihoods of local fishermen.
9. Transfer management of the Myliddy fishing harbor to the Myliddy Fishermen’s Cooperative Society. Like other harbors across the country, this too should be overseen by local fishermen, not remain under the Sri Lanka Port Authority or Navy.
10. Immediately reopen all closed roads, including the Kankesanthurai–Keerimalai and Kattuvan–Vasavilan roads, and ensure public transport access via both the Sri Lanka Transport Board and private operators.
11. Commence immediate, state-funded restoration of all religious sites and temples that were damaged or destroyed under military occupation, as a gesture of reconciliation.
This appeal is directed not only to the President and Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, but also to the three elected Members of Parliament from the National People’s Power (NPP) and all local government candidates who claim to stand for justice and development for the Tamil people. The committee urged to publicly call on the government, ministers, and the President to ensure the immediate release of these lands—an achievable objective before the upcoming elections.
Furthermore, there is a call for the establishment of a transparent negotiation mechanism that includes representatives of the rightful landowners to guarantee the effective implementation of the land release process.
