The Illankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) has issued a stern warning to the Anura Kumara Dissanayake government, demanding an immediate halt to land acquisition activities in the Jaffna region.
ITAK General Secretary M.A. Sumanthiran, speaking at the party’s May Day rally held at Weerasingham Hall yesterday, accused the government of betraying its promises to return land to its rightful owners.
“During the election, you pledged to return the people’s lands and release those held by the military. However, upon assuming power, you have initiated land acquisition, a move we vehemently oppose,” Sumanthiran stated to a gathering of party members and supporters.
He specifically called for the immediate withdrawal of the land acquisition gazette, labelling the government’s actions as unacceptable.
“Immediately stop acquiring lands contrary to your promises. In particular, the land acquisition gazette should be withdrawn immediately. Otherwise, we will make it impossible for you to set foot in Jaffna,” he warned.
Prior to the May Day meeting, Sumanthiran had also addressed the land acquisition issue in a Facebook post, highlighting a recent government gazette notification.
“Notice has been issued under Section 4 of the Land Settlement Ordinance in Gazette No 2430 dated 28.03.2025, only in English and Sinhala, stating that a total of 5,940 acres of land in the Northern Province would be declared as State Land if no claims are received within a period of 3 months,” the post read.
To assist potential claimants, Sumanthiran announced, “A team of lawyers will be available to assist the claimants to forward their claims with legal assistance from today(02 May). (Newswire)