Member of Parliament from Vanni Selvam Adaikalanathan has written to Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake calling on his government to release several swathes of land in the North-East that are being occupied by Sri Lanka's Navy.
In his letter, he tells Dissanayake that lands in Mullikulam, Thalaimannar Pier, Pallimunai and Vankalai in the Mannar district where lands owned by Tamils are being held by the Navy. He says that there are residential plots and farming land in Mullikulam, lands belonging to the Catholic Christian Church in Thalaimannar Pier, and lands belonging to individuals in Vankalai that are yet to be handed over to them.
He goes on to say that in the case of Mullikulam, the Tamils were evicted in September 2007, and although 100 acres were released in 2016, 900 acres which includes agricultural lands, four ponds and residential plots are within this demarcated area. He says the occupants are not in a position to move as they have established the North-Western Naval headquarters.
In his letter Adaikalanathan also mentions the Thalaimannar Pier where the Catholic Christian Church is situated, adding that this land belongs to the diocese of Mannar, the diocesan Bishop and the community. However within this area, covering an extent of 10 acres, the North-Central Naval command has been established in this vicinity. Due to security concerns raised by the Navy, the church is only able to hold services on Sundays.
Adaikalanathan refers to the Navy camp located along the Vankalai-Nanatan road, where a Navy camp called Puthseva has been set up, even though the land belongs to a single individual. "I request you to release the lands and pave the way for Tamils to return to their lands and live freely."
In the past few months, there have been several attempts by government agencies and the Sri Lankan security forces to obtain more lands to extend the existing camps in the North-East. Just last month, Tamils in Mandaitvu objected the surveying of lands that was meant to be used to set up another Sri Lankan Navy camp. On October 29, government officials were forced to turn back after a group of Tamil residents and politicians pushed back their attempt to acquire lands for a navy camp.
Various Sri Lankan government departments, such as the archaeology department, have tried to acquire lands owned by Tamil people. Meanwhile, vast swathes of land remain occupied by the Sri Lankan military who continue to be stationed across the North-East despite the armed conflict ending 15 years ago.
