The National Fisheries Solidarity
Movement facilitated to organize a media briefing in order to highlight the
land issues in the North on 29th of June 2019 in Jaffna. The purpose
of this media briefing was to convince the President, Prime Minister and other
relevant authorities about the land grabbing in the north as well as find the
solution for this issue. It mentioned that the government has changed their
focus after the Ester Sunday attack on 21st of April, 2019 because
after this attack, the government tightened the security by using extra forces
in the north. The government has forgotten to release the land for the land
owners and continue the resettlement process as planned. It seems that the government is functioning
without a responsibility presenting
different reasons not the release grabbed lands. The government is unable to
escape from their responsibility. The government should concern to release the
grabbed land and ensure the land rights of the effected people due to the war.
It mentioned some statistics in
relation to grabbed lands in Kepapilave. According to the information, 171
acres should be released to the people in Kepapilave. There is a request to distribute some lands
which were belonging to the Tamil people in the area for Sinahala community. The particular faddy land is located near by
the mouth of the river. We want to highly concern about this situation for
government authorities. We would like to request to ensure the land right of
the people in the area first.
There is another sensitive issue
in the north. Buddhist temples are being built in some places where the Tamil
people were living in the North. As examples, the Buddhist temples have been
built in Neeraviyad, Vattuwacal, Kokilai and Nawamkui in the north. The government should implement a research in
order to find definite information about this process and government should
introduce a solution for this issue. There may be some conflicts among the
nations based on this incident in future. Government should take action in this
movement to mitigate the tense situation.
The churches and grabbed lands
should be released to the people
There are some procedures to
capture the land of the people saying that the particular lands belong to the
Land and Forest department, department of wildlife conservation or Department
of archaeology in the north. The
President, Prime Minister and Governor should concern about this situation.
36 acres of the people in
Cilawathurei and 25 acres of the people in Kondachchikuda should be released to
the people back.
There are 3,918 acres which
belonged to the internally displaced people due to the war since 1990 to
release in Jaffna. The particular lands should be released as soon.
Around 49,000 acres have been
reserved for a national century and another 49,000 acres have been reserved for
a bird’s century in Wadamarachchi but there is no clear understanding of the
people about these reservations.
Women are the major
group who effect as a result of the displacement and land grabbing. They have
been pressured in mentally and physically. The Ministry of women affair should
concern this situation to 
