A section of residents of Keppapilavu, in Mullaitivu, on May Day protested. demanding the release of lands still occupied by the military, 17 years after the end of the armed conflict.

They reiterated their longstanding demand for the return of lands seized by the military, in 2009, to establish a camp, sources in the North said. For over 17 years, Keppapilavu residents have sustained a continuous campaign of protests, petitions and advocacy efforts, calling for the right to resettle on their original lands, they said.

Despite limited releases under successive governments, protesters stressed that substantial areas remain under military control. They highlighted that 171 acres were yet to be returned, including 59.5 acres of residential land and 111 acres of agricultural land. The residential areas once supported over 55 families and included homes, schools, places of worship and shared community spaces.

Holding placards and chanting slogans, demonstrators said that their struggle extends beyond land ownership, framing it as a fight for dignity, livelihood and the restoration of a community life disrupted since 2009.

Residents declared that since the current government assumed office, multiple appeals have been made through formal channels, including submissions to the Presidential Secretariat and the Mullaitivu District Secretariat. However, they stated that these efforts have yielded no meaningful progress toward the release of the remaining lands.

Protesters called on Sri Lankan and the local authorities to take immediate and concrete steps to return the entirety of the occupied land, enabling displaced families to resettle and rebuild their lives without further delay.

SJB and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has strongly opposed the forthcoming Value Added Tax (VAT) increase.

In a post on X, Premadasa has said that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be brought within the tax framework, financial services will be subject to higher taxation, and the digital economy will be incorporated into the VAT system.

He has noted that overall compliance obligations will also increase.

Premadasa has argued that these measures amount to “extortion” rather than reform, warning that it is not possible to tax an economy into growth.

He has said businesses need room to operate and survive, adding that if they are unable to do so, there will beventually be little left to tax.

Former Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday alleged that President Dissanayake’s declaration on the impending court verdict clearly indicated that he was aware of its outcome.

Addressing the media at Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Flower Road Office, Prof. Peiris said that the President’s direct intervention in the judicial process amounted to an attack on the very basis of the country’s Constitution. Emphasising that he dealt with the issue at hand, not as a politician but a law academic, Prof. Peiris said that a judge couldn’t, under any circumstances, discuss a verdict with a third party and behave in a manner to appease the public.The ex-lawmaker said that President Dissanayake has directly intervened in a case and brought pressure on a judge. How could the President ask the people to celebrate a particular judgement unless he was briefed of its outcome, Prof. Peiris asked.

Referring to relevant sections from the Constitution, Prof. Peiris stressed the responsibility on the part of the Supreme Court to take tangible measures to ensure the independence of the judiciary.

Prof. Peiris said that the Joint Opposition would soon write to Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena regarding the issue.