Sri Lanka, Feb. 17 -- When the war ended in 2009, more than 84,000 acres of land in the North and East, 90% of it private property, were under military control. The government has said most of the lands have now been released. But over 3,000 acres in Vali-North in the Jaffna district still remain under military control as high-security zones.

The government claims military control of these lands is needed for the security of Palaly Airport. But the reality is, that these lands are being occupied as military bases and being insidiously used for the Buddhistization process.

Tamil people have long been protesting, demanding the release of occupied lands. And the government has responded with periodic announcements of land release, the most...