Tamil residents in Suthanthirapuram, Vadamaradchi East, have raised alarm after Sri Lankan navy personnel reportedly began surveying lands in the J/435 Grama Niladhari Division without prior notice to local authorities or property owners.
For the second consecutive day on 7 July 2025, navy personnel, allegedly dispatched from Trincomalee, were observed conducting surveys across several properties, including fishing grounds and privately owned lands long held by Tamil families.
Residents say the surveying was conducted covertly and without any consultation or notification from either the local Grama Niladhari or the Divisional Secretariat. When approached by concerned locals, naval personnel reportedly demanded documentary proof of land ownership, stating that deeds must be produced to confirm rightful possession.
Community members expressed outrage at the demand, emphasising that they and their families have lived on the land for generations. Many pointed to longstanding markers of ownership such as ancestral homes, wells, and cultivated trees.
Neither the Grama Niladhari of the area nor the Divisional Secretary of Vadamaradchi East were informed in advance of the naval activity, according to local sources.
The incident has fuelled renewed concerns over ongoing militarisation and land appropriation in the Tamil homeland, where the Sri Lankan military continues to occupy significant areas more than 16 years after the end of the armed conflict.
