More than 700 acres of private land held by the Sri Lankan military in Tamil-dominated Northern Province were released today as part of several steps taken by the government to achieve reconciliation with the minority community.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said the release of the land, located in Jaffna's Valikamam north and east regions, became a reality following a request by them to President Maithripala Sirisena during his visit to the peninsula in November.
"We thank the president for the fulfilment of this promise and at the same time ask that the rest of the land held also be released, at least in stages, as soon as possible," a TNA statement said.
Sirisena, who came to power in January defeating former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, had pledged to release the land held for over 30 years for military purposes.
Since the election, Sirisena government has released land on several occasions as part of reconciliation with the Tamil minority.
In March, the government released 1,000 acres of land.
Thousands of war-hit Tamils in the province have been demanding that their land be released so that they could return to the place where their homes once stood.
During the separatist conflict, which began in the mid 1980s, the army acquired civilian-held land for military purposes to fight the LTTE, which had by then stepped up its bloody campaign for a separate Tamil homeland.
Since the defeat of the LTTE in 2009, the Sri lankan government had come under international pressure to return the property to de-escalate tension in the region.
Thousands dislocated during Sri Lanka's brutal civil war still live in camps for internally displaced persons.
Sirisena and his unity government has taken several step to normalise conditions in the north and east. It has lifted travel restrictions to the north imposed by Rajapaksa regime.
