130 families are only able to reminisce about their memories of their home, their land and their cultivation. They do so having stood in protest for over 700 days from less than 100 meters away watching their land being used by once friendly strangers.

Displaced in early 2009 due to the civil war, 130 families of a village were moved from their homes to secure government-controlled areas. At the end of 2010 when these families came back to resettle in their homes in their village they learnt that their once friendly strangers have fully occupied their village and have not moved out.

As a temporary measure they were offered living quarters in a “model village” with minimal space to live and with no space to cultivate. Some families did not have a choice but to accept this temporary alternative half-heartedly, and those families who had other options moved to other areas of the country.

Soon these families realized that this model village was less of a temporary setup and more of an unfair exchange of their homes and belongings for a constantly monitored restrictive living environment. Those who moved away temporarily also came to the same conclusion that they would not be able to return home.

Thus these 130 families embarked on an uphill battle to regain their land. Letters were sent to the Grama Sevaka, to the President of Sri Lanka and all authorities in between. When none of these officials could bring about any justiciable outcome, these families decided to demonstrate their grief and gross violation of rights through protests in 2017.

The stronger they rallied, the stronger they felt resistance. The once friendly strangers photographed the protestors along with their children, to indicate profiling and promoting fear of physical violence. The friendly police officers also advised that the higher ups of the once friendly strangers would not be moved by their protest and that it is only a waste

of time. The Judiciary stepped in, acknowledged their right to protest and that too while being 100 meters away from the entrance to their own land, now a strangers’ camp. This felt like both a victory and a dagger to their hearts.

These once friendly strangers, the armed forces, have not yet left the land. The families fight on, refusing to give up their civil rights even in rain, shine, threats of bullets.