Sri Lanka has dealt a heavy blow to press freedom in a former war zone by refusing to release a press club seized by the military more than 17 years ago.
Following the practice of earlier administrations, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s government had cited unspecified ‘security reasons’ to continue with the occupation.
Unsuccessfully appealing to successive governments since 2009 for the release of the quarter of an acre land and building, the Kilinochchi Media Forum (KMF) has approached president Dissanayake with the request in May 2026.
“Although surrounding properties, such as the Yogar Swamigal Nilayam and the primary section of Kilinochchi Maha Vidyalayam, have been released back to their respective owners, the land belonging to the Kilinochchi Press Club [is] yet to be released,” said a letter signed by the president and secretary of KMF.
A month later, the presidential secretariat had rejected the request based on ‘an information report obtained from the Ministry of Defence regarding the points mentioned’ in the KMF letter to the President.
“Accordingly, I kindly inform you that the Ministry of Defence has reported that due to the security reasons it is not possible to release the said land and building,” said W.M.S.P. Weerasinghe, Senior Assistant Secretary to the President.
The two paragraph letter does not clarify the justification provided by the ministry of defence.
Kilinochchi based journalists who are mostly Tamil speakers have carried out their media activities using the premises until 2008 when the area was under Tamil Tiger control.
Displaced during the height of the war, they managed to resettle in 2009.
Upon return, they found their workspace at ‘Kakka Kadai’ Junction along the Kilinochchi A9 highway under military occupation.
“We have submitted written requests to successive governments in the past pleading for the release of our property, but no positive outcome has been achieved so far. We would also like to bring to the kind notice of your excellency that media associations in all other districts of the Northern Province are currently functioning from their own lands and office premises. We are the only journalists’ association left without a proper workspace,” KMF said in their appeal to the president.
However, the Kilinochchi journalists, performing duties in one of the areas of Sri Lanka’s highest military concentration, are yet to see a change in their situation.
Source:The Leader.lk