Residents in Mullaitivu on Tuesday stopped officials from the Department of Archaeology from surveying in land in view of what they believe is an attempt to acquire further land in the region.
The residents, who where accompanied by local councillors and members of the Northern Provincial Council, TNA and TNPF, arrived en masse as officials were setting up equipment to survey the land, and demanded that they leave immediately.
Already over 20,000 acres of land have declared as state land by the Forestry Department, residents said, accusing the government of attempting to acquire more land by stealth through the Archaeology Department.
The protest by residents is the latest in a series of protests and demonstrations by residents against ongoing land occupation by state officials and the military in the North-East.
