Residents of Keppapilavu in Mullaitivu marked the 25th consecutive day of their renewed protest on Saturday, demanding the full return of ancestral Tamil lands that remain under Sri Lankan military occupation.
Tamil parliamentarians Sivagnanam Shritharan and Thurairasa Ravikaran visited the protest site to express their support for the demonstrators and reaffirm solidarity with the community’s demands.
The current protest marks the second phase of the residents’ campaign to reclaim their lands, which remain under military control despite years of demonstrations and repeated pledges from state officials.
Protesters said they will continue their struggle until the occupied lands are returned in full.
The Keppapilavu land struggle has continued for years. A sustained protest that began in Pilakudiyiruppu on 31 January 2017 led to the release of a section of land held by the Sri Lanka Air Force on 28 February 2017.
From 1 March 2017, residents shifted their protest to the entrance of the military camp in Keppapilavu, demanding the complete withdrawal of the military from their ancestral lands.
After years of demonstrations, the military released land on one side of the Vattrappalai–Puthukkudiyiruppu road. However, residents maintained that substantial portions of their lands remained occupied.
The prolonged protest was eventually suspended on its 1,111th day after state authorities assured residents that all of their lands would be released. According to protesters, those commitments have not been fulfilled.
Since then, residents say they have repeatedly appealed to the Sri Lankan president, the Governor and the Mullaitivu District Secretary to secure the release of their lands, but have received no resolution.
Citing the continued lack of progress, they resumed their continuous protest, insisting that sustained public action remains the only path towards reclaiming their ancestral lands.
Residents have repeatedly demanded the release of lands held by the Sri Lankan military, rejecting claims that alternative plots can replace their ancestral homes and livelihood areas.
The renewed campaign has also drawn attention to the wider issue of military occupation across Mullaitivu, where Tamils continue to call for the return of residential, agricultural and coastal lands seized during and after the armed conflict.
Keppapilavu remains one of the longest-running land struggles in the Tamil homeland, symbolising the continuing impact of militarisation on displaced Tamil families who have been unable to return fully to their homes.
Residents stated on Saturday that their peaceful campaign will continue until all of their residential and livelihood lands are returned.