COLOMBO, Aug. 24 -- The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) has called on the government to establish a clear, time-bound program to return all civilian land in the Northern and Eastern Provinces that remains under the control of the security forces.

ITAK parliamentary group leader and Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, made the call during a visit to ongoing protests demanding the release of civilian land at Palaly Junction and Vasavilan in the North.

Residents in the areas have been protesting the continued occupation of their ancestral and privately owned land by security forces, with the protest at Palaly Junction entering its 10th consecutive week. Residents gather every Sunday to demand the return of their land.

Rasam...