683 acres of civilians land has been released in Jaffna on 13th April 2018

Civilians’ land, used by Jaffna Security Forces,in Sri Lanka released a record 683 acres of land in the Tellippalai Divisional Secretariat area to 964 legal owners during a ceremony held on 13th April 2018 in the same location under the auspices of the Army Commander Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake and the Jaffna District Secretary Jaffna Nagalingam Vedanayagam. Praja Abhilsha Network has been working with this community since 2007. people tirelessly keep on struggling to gain their land back. even if the government released 683 acres of Land , there are three military camps are still located inside this released area, Therefore nearly 50 families who were in the Konatpulam and Sababathipillai welfare camps and are unable to return to this land. The Konatpulam welfare camp has been located in the private owners' land and now those owners are insisting the people to vacate the camp because they says the land is released you must go from our land - but when the military still keep on remaining their land, how the rest of the family can go and settle. so a victim called Thavam says that even if the land is released people cannot go and live because there is no water , all the houses have been broken , at the same time, there is no any other basic facilities . government hasn't provided anything to live there. the people who have money are only cleaning their lands and fencing , others are still in the camp. so the government should take action on poor families to support to clean their land because the lands are jungle now. also government should provide basic facilities to regain their lives back.