Sri Lanka, Colombo, thousands of families left without land, essential for the livelihood of the communities

COLOMBO (AsiaNews) – Since 2015, March 29 has been celebrated all over the world World day of the landless. The initiative – launched byAsian Peasant Coalition – in Sri Lanka it was an opportunity to raise the attention of public opinion on a problem that makes the economic crisis that the country is going through even more serious. Currently, in various regions of Sri Lanka, thousands of families of all ethnic groups – Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim – are landless. “Thirty years of civil war, militarization, land acquisition laws by government institutions such as the security forces, wildlife department and archeology department, but also improper development projects, have led to this situation”, denounces the People’s Alliance for Right to Landa coalition of communities, activists and civil society organizations campaigning for the housing, land and property rights of marginalized people.

The particular condition of the Tamils. The document recalls, in particular, the condition of the Tamils ​​”who have been living as a landless community since the British left Sri Lanka”; all this despite the fact that land is “a key factor for many to enjoy their rights, including those to livelihood and identity”. The declaration lamented the lack of solutions from the successive governments of Sri Lanka and reiterated some recommendations already made in the past. The first point is the return to people and communities of land taken by the military during the civil war. The government should also provide adequate support to the people to restart agriculture and other livelihoods on the returned lands and offer compensation for the damages suffered during the occupation.

Block all other acquisitions. Another request from People’s Alliance for Right to Land is the initiation of a program to identify private farmland that has been arbitrarily demarcated as forest and wildlife preserves. They should be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, considering ownership records and previous use, environmental sensitivity but also the importance of these lands to local communities for food security. Furthermore, any attempt at further acquisition for development, industry or tourism projects should be stopped immediately if the land in question is used by local food producers for their livelihoods. Alternatively, communities should be helped to develop community tourism and other development projects that supplement their livelihoods. In any case, land should only be acquired when a clear, reasonable and justified public purpose is identified and without leaving landowners in uncertainty.

The use of abandoned land. Finally, for the People’s Alliance for Right to Land Adequate land holdings should be given to all plantation-dwelling families in recognition of their work. A commitment to be pursued by drawing on uncultivated and abandoned land. And this full ownership should be guaranteed by deed, so they have the freedom to decide how to use it. This right should also be guaranteed to women.

* Melani Manel Perera, Asianews