Sri Lanka to hand over long-delayed Saudi-funded tsunami homes
Government to finally allocate 500 houses built after the 2004 tsunami, 15 years after completion of the Saudi-funded reconstruction project
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (MNTV) — The Sri Lankan government has moved to finalize the long-delayed handover of 500 homes built for families displaced by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, ending nearly 15 years of uncertainty for hundreds of victims still awaiting permanent housing.
According to the Colombo Times, the decision was announced after President Anura Kumar’s administration directed officials to expedite the transfer of ownership to eligible beneficiaries in Norochcholai, a coastal area in Ampara District.
The housing project, financed by the government of Saudi Arabia in 2009, was originally intended to rehouse survivors of the devastating tsunami that killed more than 30,000 people in Sri Lanka.
Deputy Minister of Rural Development, Social Security, and Community Empowerment L. G. Wasantha Piyatissa said the process will now proceed in coordination with the judiciary to ensure rightful allocation.
The move follows discussions between the Sri Lankan government and Saudi Ambassador Khalid Hamoud Alkahtani, who had urged authorities to resolve the longstanding impasse.
In 2011, Saudi representatives formally handed the keys to then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa, but legal disputes over land rights and eligibility led to a court order suspending distribution.
A spokesperson from the Saudi Embassy in Colombo confirmed that the project includes not only residential units but also community facilities such as a school, a hospital, a mosque, and a supermarket complex—designed to serve as a model rehabilitation settlement.
Officials said the handover could take place within months once legal clearances are secured, restoring long-promised homes to some of the last tsunami victims still waiting for permanent resettlement.
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