Tamil landowners from Valikamam North staged their weekly protest for the 14th consecutive week on Friday, calling for the release of their lands, which remain occupied within the area's designated High Security Zone. Although 17 years have passed since the end of the armed conflict, the area remains under Sri Lankan military control and retains its designation. The announcement has intensified concern among landowners, who fear that the prospect of returning to their ancestral lands is becoming increasingly remote. Jayasekara also told parliament that the military cultivated crops on occupied lands solely for its own consumption. Days later, however, footage obtained by the Tamil Guardian showed Sri Lankan soldiers delivering large quantities of vegetables grown on military-occupied Tamil land in Valikamam North to a Keells collection centre in Jaffna, directly contradicting the deputy minister's assertion in parliament.