President Maithripala Sirisena at a meeting with the state officials at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on August 28 issued instructions to expedite the process of releasing lands acquired by the military in the North and East to the rightful owners, reports Colombo Page. The President has instructed relevant authorities to identify the extent of land in the North which could be further cleared without affecting the national security. During the discussion, security officials have informed the President that 80.98 percent of state lands and 90.73 percent of private lands which had been acquired during the war have been released so far.