Tamil landowners in Thaiyiddy, Jaffna, have renewed their demands for the removal of the illegally constructed Tissa Vihara and the return of their ancestral lands, as calls for a united resistance intensify.
The Tissa Raja Maha Vihara in Thaiyiddy, Jaffna, has become a focal point of controversy and resistance for Tamils in the region, symbolising the Sri Lankan state’s ongoing Sinhalisation efforts.
Tamils in Jaffna defied Sri Lankan police intimidation as they launched a two-day protest against a Sinhala Buddhist temple that has been constructed with the help of the military and in defiance of court orders.
Concerns over environmental destruction, loss of livelihoods, and further displacement have fuelled protests as companies attempt to exploit rare earth minerals in the Tamil homeland.
Despite repeated assurances from successive governments, more than 2,500 acres of Tamil-owned land in Jaffna remain occupied by Sri Lanka’s military, navy, air force, and police, nearly 16 years after the end of the armed conflict, Jaffna District Secretary Maruthalingam Pratheepan confirmed last week.
Controversy surrounds the Tissa Vihara in Thaiyiddy as political leaders and military figures clash over its illegal construction and plans to acquire additional land for its expansion
A recent report by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has described various human rights violations in the treatment of Rohingya asylum seekers detained at the Mullaitivu Air Force Camp.
The report, titled Status of Rohingya Asylum Seekers Detained in Mullaitivu, and Related Issues, highlighted a need for humanitarian intervention, transparency in detention practices, and accountability for the Sri Lankan authorities’ handling of asylum seekers.
The Kumarapuram massacre, where the Sri Lankan military killed 26 Tamils, injured 24 and gang raped a 15 year old girl in a murderous rampage 29 years ago, was commemorated today.
The commemoration took place in the eastern village of Kumarapuram in Trincomalee, where flowers were laid and lamps were lit for the victims of the brutal massacre.
