A powerful meeting in Parliament has ignited fresh momentum to return long-held Jaffna lands to rightful owners, triggering new urgency in Sri Lanka’s long-delayed reconciliation push.
A crucial meeting to release Jaffna lands took place on the eleventh at the Parliament Complex where senior officials gathered to review the progress of the long pending project to release private lands in the Jaffna Palaly area currently under the control of the security forces. The discussion centered on accelerating the government’s reconciliation program while ensuring that national security considerations are handled responsibly. This meeting marked a renewed push to resolve long standing issues related to land release in the Northern Province, which remains a key demand of displaced families and civil society groups working on post conflict recovery.
The meeting was co chaired by the Deputy Minister of Defence Major General Aruna Jayasekara Retired, the Minister of Fisheries Aquatic and Marine Resources Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekar and the Deputy Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Hon. Janitha Ruwan Kodituwakku. Their joint leadership was seen as an important step in aligning multiple ministries and agencies that have been involved in the management, demarcation and release of Jaffna lands over the years. The active involvement of the Ministry of Defence was highlighted as essential given the presence of long standing military installations in the Palaly region.
Also present was the Secretary to the Defence Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuiyakontha Retired along with senior defence and administrative officials. Their participation ensured that technical, security and administrative perspectives were included during the conversation on land release, a topic that has often faced delays due to coordination challenges among institutions.
The main topics reviewed during the meeting included the redrawing of boundaries of the relevant lands, the finalization of land that can be immediately released, identifying priority land parcels and creating practical solutions to administrative obstacles that have long hindered the return of land to civilians. The discussions further stressed the importance of a transparent process for land release that protects essential national security infrastructure while restoring legally owned lands to their rightful owners. Both Ministers emphasized that accountability, fairness and speed must guide this renewed effort to resolve one of the most sensitive post conflict issues in the Jaffna peninsula.
