Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake seemed to launch a critique Sinhala Buddhist expansionism in Jaffna this week, even as monks continued colonise various parts of the Tamil homeland under his tenure.
Speaking in Jaffna, Dissanayake said that he was “aware that tensions and provocations arise in various places”.
“Some individuals travel to Jaffna during Poya days, passing the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, but Instead of observing the precepts, they spread hatred. They congregate around temples during every Poya, not for religious purposes, but to promote racism.”
His remarks came as Tamils continued to protests in various parts of the North-East against Sinhala Buddhist colonisation of the region. The Tissa Vihara in Jaffna, where a Buddhist temple is being illegally expanded and occupies private Tamil land, is just one example in the peninsula.
“I have instructed our intelligence agencies to investigate whether any of these individuals have legitimate claims to land or property in these areas,” Dissanayake continued.
“It is clear that extremist groups, having lost power, are attempting to revive racial divisions in small places. We will not allow any such racist tendencies to rise again in our country.”
Dissanayake has previously expressed similar sentiments, which have been welcomed by some as a departure from the overt Sinhala nationalist rhetoric of previous governments. But for many Tamils they have so far offered little comfort on the ground, where land grabs and illegal constructions continue with state protection.
For decades, successive Sri Lankan governments have used archaeology claims and security justifications to appropriate Tamil lands. After the armed conflict ended in 2009, these processes intensified, with military camps, Sinhala settlements, and Buddhist shrines steadily appearing across historically Tamil regions.
Tamil political parties have repeatedly pointed out that even under the current government, no meaningful steps have been taken to dismantle this architecture of occupation. Lands taken by the military have not been returned, forest department gazettes continue to restrict traditional Tamil livelihoods, and new Buddhist structures are still being erected without local consent.
Only last month, police recorded the details of Tamil protesters who gathered at Thaiyiddy to oppose the expansion of the Tissa Vihara. In Trincomalee, attempts to remove an illegally installed Buddha statue were reversed after pressure from Sinhala Buddhist nationalist groups, highlighting the limits of enforcement when such projects are challenged.
Critics argue that Dissanayake’s remarks are undermined by his government’s own actions. While speaking against racism, his administration has allowed the continuation of programmes such as so-called archaeological research centres that convert Tamil heritage sites into Sinhala Buddhist monuments. Local government bodies in the North-East have accused central authorities of bypassing them and imposing projects without consultation.
As Sinhala Buddhist nationalist groups continue to mobilise, and as new viharas rise on disputed lands, Tamils across the North-East remain unconvinced that the current administration is prepared to confront the structural roots of colonisation.