The people of Mannar have demanded Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake release lands already acquired from local residents before he arrives to inaugurate a major wind power project in the district.
The demand was conveyed in a letter sent to the Sri Lankan president on Tuesday by V. S. Sivakaran, president of the Mannar District Federation of Public Organisations. The letter states that the people of Mannar expect, at the very least, the release of lands for which ownership has already been determined, prior to any ceremonial inauguration.
The federation said it was deeply distressed and gravely concerned that the authorities were continuing with wind power and mineral sand mining projects in the Mannar Island region while disregarding the collective opposition repeatedly expressed by the people of the district. The letter notes that the rejection of these demands has left communities feeling powerless and unheard.
It observes that “democracy, for the powerless, is akin to dissolving salt in the ocean,” stressing that equality must move beyond rhetoric and take concrete form as social justice.
The letter further argues that an ideology of Sinhala Buddhist nationalist domination, has entrenched hegemonic oppression in the island for more than seventy years. Governments may change and political parties may alternate, it says, but the fundamental roadmap remains unchanged.
The Tamil people of Mannar, it states, are compelled to endure life as a condemned people, despite repeated assurances from successive administrations.
Referring to a meeting held on 13 August 2025, the letter recalls that Dissanayake had assured representatives that no action would be taken against the wishes of the people of Mannar. However, it says this assurance has not been honoured.
The federation emphasised that Mannar District is a region of strategic importance and that preserving its natural character without destruction is essential. Despite the collective demands of the people being ignored and effectively buried, fourteen wind power projects are continuing as planned in the district.
Although assurances were given that mineral sand mining would be completely halted, the letter states that two companies authorised for such extraction continue their operations uninterrupted. It also notes that work related to the fifty two wind power sites initially planned under the Adani project has not been stopped. While the Adani Group may have withdrawn, the project itself has not been fully abandoned, and land acquisition has not ceased.
According to the letter, 221,220 hectares of land in Mannar District have been gazetted by the Forest Department and the Department of Wildlife Conservation. Of this, 35,750 acres consist of fertile agricultural land, including 108 irrigation tanks. Although requests were made for the release of these lands and a commitment was given that this would be done within six months, no progress has been made to date.
Even lands for which ownership has already been officially determined remain unusable, creating what the letter describes as a tragic situation. It states that a severe form of oppression has been unleashed, leaving even the poorest residents unable to pluck palmyrah fruit for their daily livelihood.
The federation further alleges that fundamental rights are being systematically suppressed. There is not even a small plot of land available for new settlements, while, it says, no such restrictions appear to apply when land is allocated to the armed forces or for the construction of Buddhist temples and related structures in the Tamil homeland.
Questioning whether it is justifiable to exploit Mannar’s resources and destroy its way of life, the letter also points out that communities affected by recent natural disasters have yet to receive adequate relief.
Concluding the letter, the federation urged Dissanayake, who has presented himself as an ally of the working class, to understand the sentiments of the people of Mannar. It called on him to release at least the lands already acquired before arriving to inaugurate the wind power project, stating that this remains the clear and unwavering expectation of the people of Mannar.
