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Security was tightened last week in Keppapulavu over planned protests by residents who have been demanding the release of their lands currently occupied by the Sri Lankan military.
Several police officers were seen deployed in the morning and speaking to residents who had gathered in front of the occupying Security Forces Headquarters in Mullaitivu.
The residents speaking to the media said they had visited the District Secretariat in Mullaitivu where they handed over letters addressed to President Ranil Wickremesinghe and other officials requesting the return of their lands which are occupied by the Sri Lankan military.
The residents who met the District Secretary informed him that although some land had been released in the past, many homes, schools, primary health care centres, temples, churches, and even municipal halls remain under military control, impeding their ability to go about their day-to-day lives.
They also informed him that many of these individuals own coconut estates from which they eke out a living by selling them over time, however, those lands remain under the control of the Sri Lankan army as well. According to them are 171 acres belonging to 62 individuals and they have sought assistance from the government for the release.
The residents explained the difficulties they have endured since the end of the armed conflict in looking after their families and having to remain displaced from their own homes.
Last year, a group of residents from Keppapulavu, protested in front of the District Secretariat Office demanding to be included in a government welfare program. The program provides financial assistance to people living in poverty, but the protestors argue that they have been excluded because their lands are still being occupied by the military.
The protestors told the District Secretary at the time Kanageshwaran that they have been unable to cultivate their lands since the military occupation, which has left them in poverty. They asked that the government provide them with financial assistance for them to support their immediate needs.
Although almost ten years have passed since the end of the armed conflict the Sri Lankan military continues to control and occupy vast swathes of land in the Tamil homeland, forcing families to remain displaced. According to the Jaffna-based organisation, Adayaalam Center for Policy Research (ACPR), 30,000 acres remain under occupation in Mullaitivu.
Speaking to Reuters, Adayaalam's executive director, Kumaravadivel Guruparan said, "These people have waited for so long to get their land and homes back, and resume their lives."
Keppapulavu families began their prolonged campaign for their homes in March 2017.
The campaign, which has seen widespread support among Tamils across the North-East and diaspora worldwide, has reached out to several international bodies, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The people of Mullaitivu Keppapulau had handed over a petition to the President and Mullaitivu District Secretary to release their lands soon. The protest has been carried out in the absence of solutions.
Despite the liberation of the lands of some of the people of Keppapulau, the school, primary health center, temples, church, and community hall are still under military control.
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