More than 300 Tamil families who historically lived in Veeramanikkankulam and Musalkuthikkulam in the Chettikulam Divisional Secretariat Division have been prevented from returning to their lands after 672 acres were gazetted and taken over by Sri Lanka’s Forest Department in 2024.
The issue was raised at the Vavuniya District Development Committee meeting held under the chairmanship of Deputy Minister Upali Samarasinghe, who also heads the District Coordination Committee. The discussion focused on long standing demands for the release of lands and irrigation tanks currently under Forest Department control.
Addressing the meeting, Member of Parliament P. Sathyalingam stated that residents were originally settled in the villages in 1977 and were displaced over time due to various circumstances. He said that when families attempted to return and resettle, they were obstructed by the Forest Department and called for a decision on the matter.
The Chettikulam Divisional Secretary informed the meeting that 293 families who previously lived in the affected villages had formally applied for resettlement, with many possessing documentary proof of ownership. A total of 672 acres had been requested for release.
Within the lands in question are collapsed wells, the remains of old school buildings and other ruined structures that demonstrate prior habitation by Tamil families. Despite earlier indications that the land could be released, it was instead gazetted and acquired by the Forest Department last year.
A Forest Department official claimed the gazette notification had been issued with the involvement of the Divisional Secretariat’s Development Officer and Settlement Officer. However, the Divisional Secretary rejected this assertion, stating that no such process had taken place and that the Secretariat had not been informed of any such action.
Following the exchange, the Coordination Committee resolved that the Chettikulam Divisional Secretary and Forest Department officials would meet separately to discuss the matter and seek a resolution.
Commenting on the issue, parliamentarian Selvam Adaikkalanathan expressed frustration at the lack of progress, noting that discussions concerning the Forest Department often fail to result in concrete action.
The meeting also reviewed earlier requests for the release of irrigation infrastructure. It was noted that 17 irrigation tanks previously under Forest Department control have been released, while field inspections are ongoing in relation to a further 24 tanks. The Department has indicated that five tanks cannot be released.
The dispute highlights growing tensions over land control and resettlement in the Tamil homeland, where Eelam Tamil families seeking to return to historically inhabited lands continue to face administrative barriers and state acquisition schemes. Civil society groups have repeatedly warned that the use of state institutions, including the Forest Department, has facilitated the appropriation of Tamil land and prevented displaced families from returning after the war.
For families in Veeramanikkankulam and Musalkuthikkulam, the gazetting of their lands has reinforced concerns over ongoing structural discrimination and the erosion of Tamil land rights in the North-East.
