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| A name-board put up in front of a land under military custody. |
Since National People’s Power (NPP) government assumed office, only 61.5 acres of private land has been released in Jaffna district, according to data from Jaffna District Secretariat.
Despite war affected Tamil people demanding to return their rightful ancestral lands, successive governments tried to acquire more lands for tri forces in the name of ‘ National Security’.
Meanwhile, 2570.05 acres of private land is yet to be released by both tri forces and police in the district in addition to occupying thousands of acres state land as well.
In May, official steps were taken to acquire one acre land for Navy in Delft island. However, locals protested against the move and forced officials to return when they turned up to survey the land.
During 2010-2015 period, 18,513 acres of land were released while 234 acres were released by May 2024.
Private lands near Keerimalai, Palay, Thaiyiddy, along with temples, and schools are still under military control since they were declared as ‘High Security Zone’ during the war period time.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Defense told Parliament last week that legal steps are being to taken to acquire 1661 acres of land in Palaly for regional airport development and military purposes by compensating rightful owners as well. (Northeastern Monitor/ July 12/2026)
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