From drones to court cases: Sri Lanka’s surveillance grow against Tamil protesters in Thaiyiddy

Sri Lankan police recorded the personal and vehicle details of Tamils attending the monthly protest against the military-backed Thaiyiddy vihara on Wednesday, raising fresh fears of surveillance and future crackdowns against those opposing the occupation of Tamil-owned land.

The protests, which take place on the first Poya Day of the New Year near the Tissa Raja Maha Vihara in Thaiyiddy, where Tamils have gathered every full moon day since 2023, demands the return of land seized for the construction of the temple. Protesters say the Sri Lankan military forcibly acquired around 8.5 acres of land belonging to Tamil families.

According to participants, Sri Lankan police stopped vehicles arriving at the protest and recorded number plates and drivers’ licence details. Among those targeted was religious leader Velan Swamigal, who arrived in a three-wheeler to take part in the demonstration. Officers recorded the vehicle’s number plate as well as the driver’s licence details.

When Velan Swamigal questioned the reason for the registration, a uniformed officer replied, “There is a protest going on, sir, so they have asked us to register all the vehicles that are going.” When asked why people were being stopped and questioned, police claimed they were acting to protect the rights of the public.

Velan Swamigal told officers that police were harassing protesters while claiming to protect them, warning that such actions would later be used to pursue legal cases.

ITAK Member of Parliament Sivagnanam Shritharan, who also attended the protest, said he believed the police intended to use the data collected to oppress protesters at a later stage. “Many people have registered their driving license rather than their national identity card. There is an ulterior motive behind this. The driving license, rather than their vehicle. So, we believe that the intention is to use different vehicles to attack them.”

Valikamam East Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Thiagaraja Nirosh further alleged that protesters were being monitored using drones. “In addition to the procedures in place in Sri Lanka, the protesters were monitored through drones. The information of every citizen who came to the protest was recorded.”

The incident comes amid an escalation of legal action against those involved in the Thaiyiddy protests. Lawyer M. A. Sumanthiran said the occupying Sri Lankan police in Palaly had initiated unlawful legal proceedings against participants in a peaceful protest connected to the illegal vihara.

In relation to the Thaiyiddy protests, Sri Lankan police have filed a case at the Mallakam Magistrate’s Court against fifteen individuals, including Velan Swamigal, priests affiliated with the Eastern and Northern Provincial Councils, and members of the Northern Provincial Council. When the case was heard on Monday, those named appeared in court as representatives of their respective councils.

Appearing for the suspects, President’s Counsel Sumanthiran, along with senior lawyers N. Sreekantha and scholar K. Guruparan, made submissions challenging the legality of the police action. The court permitted the suspects to be released on personal bail and fixed the next hearing for 26 February.

Speaking to the media after proceedings, Sumanthiran said the actions of the Sri Lankan police were unlawful and that officers had no authority to initiate such measures. He stressed that peaceful protest is protected under Sri Lanka’s Constitution and supported by multiple legal precedents, noting that police are obligated to provide protection and assistance to demonstrators.

He also said police often attempt to obstruct protests under the pretext of public inconvenience, but cannot rely on such claims to restrict democratic expression. The legal team further told the court that police themselves had blocked roads and later misrepresented the situation by alleging that protesters caused the obstruction. They also argued that arrests made during the protest were unlawful.

Tamil activists say the latest surveillance and prosecutions reinforce long-standing concerns that the Sri Lankan state is using policing and legal mechanisms to intimidate and suppress resistance to land grabs and Sinhalisation in the Tamil homeland.