Tamil residents staged a protest this week against the construction of an illegal Buddhist vihara in the Thaiyiddy area, built on lands belonging to local Tamil families that were forcibly appropriated.
Demonstrators gathered in the area to demand the immediate release of their lands and the removal of the temple structure that they say was unlawfully erected on their property.
Protesters raised slogans calling for the restoration of their land, including the chant, “Our land must be returned to us,” as they asserted their rights and called on authorities to address the seizure of Tamil-owned land.
The protest follows longstanding concerns raised by local residents, politicians and civil society groups over the construction of Buddhist religious sites on lands belonging to Tamils in the North-East.
The vihara in Thaiyiddy was built after land belonging to Tamil people was taken over without their consent. Community members have repeatedly called for the land to be returned and for the removal of the structure.
A heavy police presence was reported at the protest site, with officers surrounding the demonstrators.
Participants said the police presence created an atmosphere of intimidation, with officers encircling protesters while intelligence personnel photographed individuals taking part in the demonstration.
Residents described the actions as an attempt to deter people from protesting and documenting those who had gathered to demand the return of their land.
Land appropriation in the Tamil homeland has remained a persistent issue. Tamils across the North-East have repeatedly protested against land seizures, military occupation and the construction of Buddhist temples in areas where local populations are overwhelmingly Tamil and Hindu or Christian.
Rights groups and local activists have warned that such developments form part of a broader pattern of demographic and cultural transformation in the region, often carried out with the support of the Sri Lankan military and state authorities.
Residents involved in the Thaiyiddy protest reiterated that their demand remains the return of their lands and the dismantling of the vihara constructed on property they say was unlawfully taken from them.
