Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the recent report by the Sri Lankan Centre for Policy Alternatives that more than 12,500 acres of land in the Northern Province remains occupied by the Sri Lankan military; what recent representations he has made to the Sri Lankan government on the restitution of land and reparations; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire

Since President Sirisena came to power in January 2015, the Sri Lankan Government has made efforts to return some military occupied private land to civilians. The UK has welcomed this. However, as the CPA report sets out, much more remains to be done. In January 2016, during my second visit in a year to Sri Lanka, I raised land returns in my meetings with the Government and reaffirmed our readiness to help it implement its commitments on reconciliation. I also met resettled families in the north, seeing for myself the progress that has been made as well as the challenges that remain. We will continue to encourage further land returns, a process the UK is contributing to through our support for demining in the north of the country.