Local News from Sri Lanka: President Maithripala Sirisena advised the authorities concerned to take measures to release land without creating any barriers to national security.
The government has made special efforts over the past five years to release private lands that were under military control to their owners after the end of the armed conflict, the president said.
The President advised officials to assess the extent of the land and properly release it with the consultation of the safety forces and send a report to the Governor of the Northern Province before 1 October.
During a discussion on the release of lands in the North conducted today at the President’s Office, the President gave these directives (28).
Furthermore, the President said that everyone should be aware that the checkpoints and camps of the military are prerequisites for national security. The terror attacks on Easter Sunday highlighted the importance of this measure while adding security camps to the area and its population should be in place.
Measures will be extended to release land that is not strategically essential to national security and problems linked to this process can be resolved through debate, the president added.
If the private land acquisition is needed for safety reasons, the owners should be paid compensation without delay, said President Sirisena.
Armed forces officials revealed that 80.98% of state lands and 90.73% of personal lands obtained by the military during the armed conflict have been released so far.
