TELO leader and Vanni District parliamentarian Selvam Adaikkalanathan has issued a sharp warning against attempts by the Sri Lankan Navy to appropriate Tamil-owned land in Mannar, declaring that “we will never allow the lands belonging to the people to be seized under the pretext of establishing a naval camp.”
Speaking at a press briefing on 14 June at his office in Mannar, Adaikkalanathan condemned what he described as continued military land grabs in defiance of pledges made by Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
“Following the election of Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a pledge had been made to release lands under military control,” Adaikkalanathan stated. However, according to him, this promise had not been fulfilled in many areas.
He cited the case of privately owned lands along the coastal road in Pallimunai, Mannar, where the Sri Lankan Navy had already established a base. The matter, he said, had previously been raised in Parliament and letters sent to the president, yet no action had been taken.
Instead, new notices had appeared indicating that the lands under naval occupation were scheduled to be surveyed on 20 June, prompting fears of a formal acquisition process.
Adaikkalanathan warned that such steps would be met with strong resistance. “This action will not be tolerated under any circumstance,” he said, adding that “the people would certainly rise in protest.”
He further stated that the issue would once again be brought to the attention of the Sri Lankan president and a formal complaint lodged with the Chairman of the Development Committee. “The plan must be halted immediately,” he said, stressing that the lands in Pallimunai should be returned to their rightful owners.
Adaikkalanathan strongly condemned the Sri Lankan Navy’s attempts to legitimise its occupation and warned that continued efforts to seize Tamil land could provoke public unrest. He vowed to raise the matter in Parliament and press Dissanayake to end what he described as an “unjust operation.”
Land seizures by the Sri Lankan military remain a critical concern in the Tamil North-East, where large tracts of civilian property have remained under occupation despite the armed conflict ending more than 16 years ago. Tamil politicians and civil society groups have consistently called for the full demilitarisation of the region and the restoration of land to its rightful owners.
