Yesterday (07), during the debates related to the government and the Central Bank, I wish to place on record that even after this government (NPP) assumed office, Tamil university students, Tamil public servants, and the Tamil people in this country continue to face various forms of pressure and hardships.
Most importantly, on March 16, 2026, three students of the University of Jaffna were subjected to police interrogation at the Jaffna District Crime Division.
These students—Dharmalingam Jathurshan (President of the Faculty of Arts Students’ Union), Thayaparan Lajitharan (President of the Students’ Union), and A. Abishek—along with several others, were subjected to intense questioning. These actions demonstrate that even under this government, students are being obstructed from engaging in independent activities, expressing their views on rights, and voicing policies related to their community. Through such intimidation, your government is clearly conveying this restriction. We strongly condemn this.
At the very least, in the future, I urge that university students—especially Tamil students—must be allowed to pursue their education freely, without repression from intelligence agencies, the military, or the police. I submit the documents related to the summons issued to them to this House.
Similarly, Mrs. Thayaparan Jeyachithra, an executive member of the Kilinochchi District branch of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi, has been summoned today at 10 a.m. to the Terrorism Investigation Division in Colombo for questioning. She has already been called to Colombo for inquiry more than three times, and she is frequently subjected to questioning by the police in Kilinochchi as well.
A mother with grown children, who is engaged in activities related to the national aspirations of the Tamil people, is being repeatedly summoned and questioned in an intimidating manner by the TID and the police. This clearly shows that she is being prevented from expressing her fundamental rights. Once again, she has been summoned to Colombo this morning, and I submit those letters to this House as well.
Honourable Deputy Speaker, on April 2, in Iyakkachchi, within the Pachchilaippalli Divisional Secretariat of Kilinochchi District, there is a village called Urvanikanpattru. The land there belongs to the people of that village—it is their ancestral land, owned and cultivated by them for generations, spanning six to seven generations historically.
Within this land, there is a Muthumari Amman temple, a public hall, a preschool, and land belonging to the Sivaboomi Foundation. Despite all this, due to the war in 1990, the people were displaced. They later resettled in their own lands, but in 2006, when war broke out again, they were once more forced to leave.
After 2006, the Sri Lanka Army’s Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Division occupied this land, and now they are attempting to unlawfully measure and take over nearly 30 acres of it. On April 2, following a request from the Divisional Secretary of Pachchilaippalli, the Survey Department attempted to measure the land to hand it over to the military.
This attempt was strongly resisted and stopped by the people gathered there, along with political representatives. The people clearly demanded: “This land belongs to us—it is our ancestral land. The military camp of the 4th Battalion (SLEME) is on our land. Please do not measure it—return it to us.”
After I contacted and spoke with the Government Agent and the Divisional Secretary, the measurement process was halted. I submit to this House a letter signed by 21 individuals confirming that this land belongs to them. The list includes:
Murugesu Selvarasa
Mayilvaganam Balachandran
Sivaboomi Foundation
Thambaiya Vallipuram
Chandrarupan Udayakala
Markkandu Ponnamma
Kandiban Padmavathi
Prakash Subathra
Sellappa Thiyagarasa
Bhaskaran Jothiswari
Dushyanthan Sujeeba
Sivasithamparam Lojini
Kamalapathi Selvarasa
Kanagaratnam Maheswari
Murugesu Yogarani
Senthilvelan Menakai
Dharmalingam Thasan
These lands are their ancestral properties, and I submit this list as well.
Why is this government attempting to forcibly measure and seize people’s lands in a country where there is no war? How cruel is this? Even today, in Valikamam North, Jaffna, and Kilinochchi, people have lost their lands and are left destitute. Yet, in front of their very eyes, the government is sending survey officials, accompanied by the military and police, to measure and take over their lands. Why are you repeating what previous governments did?
Honourable Deputy Speaker, the suffering of these people is extremely serious. I often ask: why has this country still not progressed? I say repeatedly that the consequences of your past actions will not allow you to progress.
The mistakes made by past political leaders, the wars waged against the Tamil people, and the continued attempts even today to seize their lands while they remain displaced—this is deeply unjust.
Imagine the mental state of a landowner watching their land being measured and taken away before their eyes. If you were in their position, please reflect on it.
Under this government, you are interrogating university students. You are summoning activists who peacefully advocate for political rights to Colombo, Kilinochchi, and Jaffna. You are seizing people’s lands and forcibly measuring them. What kind of justice is this?
You speak of equality for all, and your government claims the same. You promised to fulfill your election manifesto. But a government that does not respect people’s rights and fails to understand their aspirations cannot build genuine reconciliation or move forward.
Even this government has not taken the slightest step toward addressing the Tamil national question or the ethnic conflict in this country.
If you truly wish to speak about peace and reconciliation, the path you must take is still long and difficult. First, reflect on that. Open that path. Understand the aspirations of the people. Only through that can you build a just nation and a country where all communities can coexist. I once again place this on record.
