Keppapilavu people continue protest | Sunday Observer

Keppapilavu people continue protest

26 February, 2017

People in the Keppaipilavu area in the Mulathivu District are continuing their struggle for the 27th day to get their lands released from the forces.

The land which is occupied by the Air Force has made the day to day activities difficult to the ordinary people. Over 350 persons belonging to 85 families have been affected due to this situation and this group includes 54 school going children who are between grades 1 to 12.

The children and others are forced to walk a distance of 5 kilometers via the only road that they have to enter and exit the village as the road is placed through the Air force base. One of the main demands by the people is to declare the road open to public so that it could be used freely. Although these requests persisted from 2010 no demonstration or protests were carried out back then as oppose to today. The affected families also claim that due to the occupation of these lands by the forces they have lost their cultivation and livelihood and they blamed politicians including TNA as well as the Chief Minister of Northern Province C. V Vigneswaran. Civil Society activists as well as students of the Jaffna University have pledged their support towards this effort.

When the Sunday Observer contacted the Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan said that he has spoken to the Acting Secretary of Defense as well as the Government Agent of Mullativu and hoping to meet with the President within the course of next week. “We have been in communication with the government agent in Mulaithivu who in turn told us that they have identified 42 permit holders and they are working to release the lands to the identified permit holders,” the opposition leader explained. According to Sampanthan the response received by acting secretary of defense a report has been submitted to the President and it waits a presidential order for the lands to be released. “We will meet the president within the course of the next week and hold discussions in order to bring about a lasting solution to this issue,” he added.

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