News
Jaffna, K’nochchi: Out of 50,000 Army-held acres, 46,000 released
Retired senior military officers allege that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk’s call to reduce military presence in the Northern and Eastern provinces posed a serious threat.
The Geneva official had refrained from acknowledging the releasing of land over the years when he called on the government to release land to their owners without further delay, they said.
The deployment in the Jaffna peninsula and Kilinochchi, coming under the purview of Security Forces Headquarters, Jaffna, is a case in point, they said. Of nearly 25,000 acres of land that had been held by the military in the Jaffna peninsula in 2009, 22,800 acres were released by the end of June this year, they said.
In the Kilinochchi theatre, the land held by the Army had been reduced to 600 acres from nearly 25,000 acres in 2009, the ex-military men said, challenging the UN office, Colombo, to clarify the information pertaining to the land release with the Defence Ministry.
During the war, the Jaffna peninsula was the home for four infantry divisions, including the 53 – at one time known as the Reserve Strike Force.
“The truth is that of nearly 50,000 acres of land held by the Army in 2009, we now hold less than 2,500 acres. Any further reduction may undermine overall defence,” a serving officer said.
The armed forces expanded the areas under their control and established High Security Zones (HSZs) as part of the strategy to counter large scale attacks, long range artillery and infiltration.
Former Chief of Staff General Jagath Dias recently told The Island that they eradicated the LTTE militarily in May 2009, and the Army commenced phased handing back of land in the following year. The government and the Army did that on their own, the Gajaba Regiment veteran said.
Gen. Dias, who commanded the 57 Division, deployed on the Vanni front, said that those who find fault with the military and the government should at least admit they were able to release so much land because the LTTE was no more.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
In a swift search and rescue (SAR) operation, the Sri Lanka Navy on 22 Jun 2026 rendered assistance to a one-day fishing trawler that had failed to return to its intended destination.
Reportedly, the fishing trawler and its 02 crew members ran into trouble due to adverse weather conditions off the north coast of the island. The rescue mission was launched
immediately following an alert from the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources regarding the overdue trawler.
Responding to the distress call, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Colombo, coordinated the deployment of naval craft for the SAR operation.
During the operation, naval personnel located the distressed trawler and its 02 fishermen in the seas off the Analaitivu Island and they were brought to safety.
Maintaining a round-the-clock vigil, the Sri Lanka Navy, through the coordination of MRCC Colombo, remains constantly prepared to deploy assets and extend vital lifesaving assistance to the naval and fishing communities facing perils within the Sri
Lankan Search and Rescue Region.
The NPP government has not taken a final decision regarding filling of the vacancies in the judiciary.
A group of Opposition MPs, led by SJB leader Sajith Premadasa, on 12 June, requested Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickremeratne to take up the issue of judicial vacancies with President Dissanayake. Opposition sources said that there were four vacancies, each in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, and the inordinate delay had adversely affected the judiciary.
Government sources indicated that there was no change in the status quo as regards filling of vacancies. Referring to the government proposal to extend the retirement age of judges, authoritative sources said that no final decision had been taken yet.
SJB lawmaker Dayasiri Jayasekera told The Island that they would raise the issue in Parliament this week.
He said that the deliberate delay in making appointments to superior courts and the move to extend the retirement age couldn’t be taken separately.
The MP noted that the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, the Lawyers’ Collective, the Colombo High Court Lawyers’ Association, Colombo Magistrate’s Court Lawyers’ Association and the Bar Association of Badulla had opposed the government move.
There hadn’t been any public statements in support of the government move, MP Jayasekera said, urging the government to end uncertainty in the judiciary.
by Shamindra Ferdinando
SJB leader Sajith Premadasa has invited the UNP and other political parties to join his party. Premadasa, who is also the leader of the Opposition, has emphasised that the UNP and the SJB could reach a consensus on policies but his party wouldn’t, under any circumstances, accept whatever formula to share positions. Premadasa said so, speaking to the media over the weekend, after meeting the Mahanayaka Thera of the Malwatta Chapter of the Siyam Nikaya Most Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera.
A statement issued by the Opposition Leader’s Office quoted MP Premadasa as having extended an invitation to all political parties to give up extremist policies and join the SJB.
The SJB leader alleged that the NPP government feared facing elections and that was the reason for the inordinate delay in holding Provincial Council polls. PC polls were last held in 2012, 2013 and 2014, on a staggered basis. Premadasa said that if PC polls were held his party would definitely win the majority of PCs.Premadasa also urged the government to reduce electricity tariffs and fuel prices.
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