Tamil National Party (TNP) leader N. Srikantha has condemned the violent attack on residents of Mannar who have been protesting against the controversial wind power project on the island, describing it as “a brutal manifestation of state terror once again unleashed upon the Tamil people.”
Speaking at a media briefing in Jaffna on Martin Street, Srikantha said that if the Sri Lankan government deemed the protest illegal, it should have arrested demonstrators through legal means rather than unleashing violence. “The state has no authority to assault them or cause them injury,” he stated.
Last Friday night, when equipment and machinery for the wind power project were transported to Mannar Island, Tamil residents raised objections. Instead of engaging with their concerns, security forces used violent force, leaving several injured.
The assault comes as the government led by Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake completes its first year in office. Srikantha denounced the incident as a sign of how the administration handles large-scale democratic protests. “Such lawless actions cannot be condoned or accepted by anyone who respects democracy and the basic rights of the people,” he said.
For weeks, the people of Mannar have sustained widespread demonstrations against the project, taking their opposition as far as the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo. Campaigners say the development threatens their land rights and livelihoods. Despite this, the state has continued to suppress their protests rather than investigate their grievances.
Srikantha warned that the government’s actions were intended as a broader message to Tamils and to all engaged in peaceful protest: “If protests cross certain limits, the state will not hesitate to wield its power against the people. This must be regarded as a warning.”
He urged the Sri Lankan government to summon representatives of the protesters, explain its position, and resolve the matter peacefully. Instead, he said, the state appeared determined “to crush the protest.”
Srikantha also called on fellow Tamil politicians to recognise the reality of state repression, noting that Tamils across the island have long understood why even Sinhalese who value democratic rights show little empathy for Tamil citizens.
The Mannar protests have become yet another Tamil-led campaign, underscoring both deep-seated anger at state-backed development projects and the ongoing use of force to silence dissent.
