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Government gives back rice fields occupied by the military to 29 Tamil families

Sri Lanka security forces had taken over the area during the country's civil war. Now internally displaced families will be able to farm 98 acres in Vellamullivaikkal East, an area in northern Sri Lanka largely inhabited by Tamils.

Colombo (AsiaNews/Agencies) - The Sri Lankan government today granted some internally displaced families nearly 100 acres of rice paddies in the northern part of the country.

Until recently, the area had been under the control of the country's security forces, which had seized it during the country's 30-year civil war.

Some 29 internally displaced families will now own 98 acres of land in East Vellamullivaikkal (Mullaitivu District).

According to the Army Directorate of Media, about 4,000 acres of land occupied by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) were "returned" in 2013 to local residents for farming.

The issue of land seizure and military presence in the north made the headlines around the world recently because of its impact on the Tamil community, which is the local majority.