Laws to ban sale of land to foreigners

Ridma DISSANAYAKE

Laws are to be introduced shortly to ban the sale of lands to foreigners, Land and Land Development Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon said.

He said the Land Ordinance would be amended to give effect to the new law on a directive of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The Public Administration and Home Affairs Ministry is to bring in two new draft bills pertaining to land ownership. The Minister said the amendments to the Land Ordinance would be made, parallel to those new laws.

“The new land laws are aimed at safeguarding the land rights of Sri Lankans,” he said.

Land and Land Development Ministry sources said that foreigners have acquired over 10,000 acres of land during the past two decades in Sri Lanka, including private land within the World Heritage Dutch Fort in Galle.

Out of the total 6.5 million hectares land mass of Sri Lanka, 5.2 million hectares belong to the State.