Sri Lanka, Aug. 5 -- The Government's continued occupation of civilian lands in the Northern and Eastern Provinces was strongly challenged today by Batticaloa District Member of Parliament Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, who questioned the justification for retaining thousands of acres of private and state lands under military control nearly seventeen years after the end of the armed conflict.

Raising the matter in Parliament, the MP sought detailed information on the total extent of privately owned and state-owned lands occupied by the Tri-Forces in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, the extent of lands released since the present government assumed office, the locations and dates of those releases, the extent of lands that continue to remain ...