A disputed piece of land in Vavuniya is likely to be referred to courts for resolution.
The plot at Karupanichchamkulam is being used by Tamils for farming.
It was to be prepared to be used as a cemetery at the request of the Sinhalese at nearby Kokkuveli village, with a survey department team arriving there on 15 September for the task.
Tamils protested against it, claiming it was traditionally a farming land, which they could not cultivate for several years due to the war.
A gazette issued by the district secretariat in 2019 said it was owned by the Wildlife Conservation Department, they Said.
Sinhalese arrived their along with two Buddhist monks, one of them being Ven. Balangoda Kashyapa, an activist at Galle Face struggle.
Divisional secretary N. Kamaladas visited the scene and told the Tamils that his office had documents to show the land had been used as a cemetery in 1967.
As the authorized officer for land issues, he informed both sides to take the matter to courts.
He told the Sinhalese to use another cemetery until the matter is settled.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that land disputes in the north and the east should be resolved as per the Wildlife Conservation Department’s map of 1985.
