Sri Lanka : Land and Conflict in the North and East

This report analyzes land issues in Sri
Lanka, which cannot be seen in isolation from the ethnic and
political conflict and, at the same time, even though land
conflict is often linked with the ethnic conflict in Sri
Lanka, a large number of land conflicts in the North and
East can be resolved prior to a full and national political
solution to the ethnic situation. This report analyzes
constraints and opportunities for an effective governance
framework for land access and land tenure security in the
conflict-affected areas of Sri Lanka, develops a
comprehensive typology of land-related conflicts to inform
policy dialogue and to identify types of conflict that may
be resolvable in the current situation and to distinguish
them from those which are not, identifies policy criteria to
further ensure a conflict-sensitive approach in a
post-conflict and post-tsunami context whereby regional,
religious and ethnic balances in the allocation and/or
restitution of land and property rights are to be addressed.
The report synthesizes existing studies, mainly qualitative
assessments of limited scope and outreach, but a more
in-depth quantitative assessment may be conducted later on,
when the political situation is conducive to do so.