MAYILIDDY, Sri Lanka — The chairman of a local government body in Sri Lanka's Northern Province said Sunday that there was "absolutely no justification" for the military to continue occupying civilian lands in the region, speaking at a protest demanding the return of privately owned property still under military control more than a decade and a half after the end of the country's civil war.
The demonstration, organized by the Valikamam North Resettlement Development Committee, drew residents from four Grama Sevaka divisions in the Valikamam North area who say they have been unable to reclaim lands seized during the conflict between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which ended in 2009. Organizers say roughly 3,000 acres remain under military control in the area.
Thiyagarajah Nirosh, chairman of the Valikamam East Pradeshiya Sabha, accused successive governments of failing to return the land and alleged that displaced families continued to live without permanent housing while the military used portions of the occupied property for agriculture and other activities.
"For 37 years, the state has held these lands at gunpoint," Mr. Nirosh said. "Even 17 years after the war, our people are still fighting for the return of their own lands."
He described the continued occupation as "an ethnic-driven project" and called on the government to immediately release the lands and compensate residents for decades of military use.
Mr. Nirosh also pointed to a recent visit by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to Jaffna as evidence that no genuine security rationale existed for maintaining the military presence.
"When the President visited Jaffna recently, he walked alone on this very road," he said. "That itself shows there is no security threat here."
Land occupation by the military has remained one of the most contentious post-war issues in Sri Lanka's Northern Province, where Tamil residents and civil society organizations have for years demanded the release of property acquired during the conflict.
