Under the banner of the “Clean Sri Lanka” campaign, the Sri Lankan military’s 542nd Brigade conducted a canal-cleaning operation on Sunday, 25 May, in Uyilangkulam, Mannar, a region that has been subjected to militarisation, displacement, and land appropriation.
The operation, led by Major Victor Fernando, targeted irrigation canals running from Kattukkarai Lake to Iluppaikulam, Mathottam, and adjacent agricultural fields. These areas are vital to local Tamil communities who depend on them for farming and sustenance. While the initiative was framed as an environmental awareness campaign aimed at improving public hygiene and agricultural utility, it has demonstrated once more the militarised grip that Sri Lanka has over the Tamil North-East.
Since the end of the armed conflict in 2009, Tamil regions such as Mannar have witnessed a steady expansion of military installations and activities, ranging from commercial farming to so-called civil development programmes, despite the opposition of local Tamils.
Tamil political leaders have repeatedly condemned these projects as part of a broader strategy to exert state control over Tamil lands and suppress calls for autonomy and accountability.
