Displaced Tamil families from Thottachurungi Vattai and Thiruvalluvarpuram in Amparai took to the streets on Monday last week, staging a protest at the Malwatta junction in Sammanturai to demand the return of their ancestral lands that they say have been unlawfully seized.
Carrying placards and chanting slogans, the protesters called for justice and the restoration of their properties, which they insist were taken from them despite having valid ownership documents. Alongside the demonstration, the affected residents sent written petitions to Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake, detailing their grievances and appealing directly for intervention.
The protesters recounted how they had been forced to flee their homes during the anti-Tamil pogroms that engulfed the island in 1983, and again during the armed conflict in the 1990s, leaving behind their lands and livelihoods. On their eventual return, they found their farmlands and homes occupied and cultivated by others.
According to the demonstrators, the encroachments affect around 57 Tamil landowners, whose agricultural lands have been taken over despite clear documentary proof of ownership. In addition, eleven Tamil families from Malwatta–Thiruvalluvarpuram discovered that their residential plots had been seized by an individual with no legal claim to the property, who continues to occupy and profit from the land.
Residents said they have filed numerous complaints with the Sammanturai Divisional Secretariat, the Amparai District Secretariat, and the Office of the Eastern Province Governor, as well as raised the matter with several political representatives. However, no concrete action has yet been taken.
“We are deeply disheartened,” said the protesters in a joint statement. “For years, we have been deceived by those with wealth and political power. Having lost faith in local authorities, we have united today to draw the president’s attention to our grievances. We are staging this protest to make our voices heard and have sent letters directly to the Sri Lankan president, seeking justice and the return of our rightful lands.”
The demonstrators also accused local officials of colluding with land grabbers to block Tamil residents from reclaiming their property, a pattern that mirrors wider land disputes across the Eastern Province, where Tamils continue to face state-backed encroachments.
Despite their appeals, the protesters said they have yet to receive any response from the Sri Lankan government or local authorities. Community leaders have vowed to continue their campaign until their lands are returned, warning that they may escalate their demonstrations if justice is delayed further.
