A planned survey of disputed lands in Thaiyiddy, Jaffna, where a Buddhist vihara currently stands on the contested property, was abruptly halted on Friday following a police complaint by a Sinhala Buddhist monk, raising fresh concerns over political interference and the denial of land rights to local Tamil owners.
The survey, scheduled for 17 April, had been agreed at a meeting held on 11 April at the Jaffna District Secretariat, chaired by Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar and attended by District Secretary Maruthalingam Piratheepan. The discussions focused on surveying lands claimed by 17 individuals asserting private ownership over the contested area.
However, on the eve of the survey, the chief incumbent of Tissa Vihara, Jinthota Nandarama, lodged a complaint with Palaly police alleging that an unlawful survey was being attempted.
Despite prior approval, landowners and survey department officials who arrived at the site at around 9:00 a.m. found key state representatives absent, including the minister and senior administrative officials. A heavy police presence added to confusion and unease.
Officials led by the District Secretary arrived approximately an hour later and informed those gathered that the survey could not proceed, citing the need for a “special team” from Colombo. They said the survey would instead be conducted within a month.
In a subsequent statement, Piratheepan said the survey would take place before 15 May in a “coordinated manner involving all stakeholders,” following a request from the Secretary to the Ministry of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs.
Landowners expressed frustration at what they described as repeated delays and shifting excuses. They noted that discussions about the survey had already taken place at a meeting in Colombo on 17 February, from which they were excluded, and said no records or outcomes had been shared with them.
They further pointed out that the survey was halted only after they had agreed to proceed. “We are repeatedly portrayed as unwilling to resolve the issue, yet when we agree, it is stopped by others,” one claimant said.
Residents also reported that three busloads of individuals arrived in the area on 16 April under the pretext of religious observance, prompting concerns that they were brought in to intimidate landowners ahead of the survey.
The dispute centres on lands which officials have acknowledged do not fall within a designated High Security Zone. Landowners maintain the properties are privately owned and outside the scope of state acquisition, and have called for written assurances that any survey would be conducted solely to facilitate their return.
Legal observers criticised what they described as the state’s inconsistent role in a private land matter. They noted that the suspension followed intervention by the Ministry of Buddha Sasana, which has no formal jurisdiction over land administration.
Locals also questioned the timing of the postponement, noting that preparations are underway at Tissa Vihara for a religious event on 1 May, with decorations already being erected.
Landowners highlighted what they described as a contradiction at the centre of the dispute: a state-approved survey of privately owned land was halted following allegations of illegality, while the vihara itself was constructed on the same land during a period of military occupation.
“If identifying our own land is unlawful, why is there no scrutiny of the structure built on it?” one claimant asked.
They added that it was state authorities who initially intervened to facilitate the survey, only to withdraw at the last moment.
