Land Rights Now

A public conference on the new land reforms of the government organized by PARL was held on 1st April 2024 at the SLFI with the participation of community leaders who have been engaged in land rights struggles for a long time. People expressed their demands against the land grabbing by the military in the North and East, housing issues in the plantations, issues with the plantation projects of multi-national corporations in Hingurana and Palwaththe, issues with the leasing state lands for environmentally harmful agro-businesses, undermining the livelihoods of the local communities by restricting them using the beaches, grasslands, water, and other natural resources. Dissatisfaction was expressed with the government’s ‘Urumaya’ program, which gives freehold title to the people while creating structural conditions for people to alienate the land. Participants expressed their dissatisfaction with the government’s land policy. They highlighted the need for an alternative land and land use policy for the country based on the fundamentals of equality, non-discrimination, intergenerational equity, and ecosystem protection. #nafsosrilanka #NoLandNoLife #joinhandsaginsthunger #LandRightsNow