Two Tamil youths from Mullivaikkal completed a solidarity march to Mannar on Friday evening, joining ongoing protests against the controversial wind power project that locals warn threatens their homes and livelihoods.
The pair had set out on foot from Mullivaikkal on 10 September, carrying leaflets and raising awareness of the issue as they travelled through the North. On arrival at Thallaadi junction in Mannar, they were welcomed by Father S. Marcus Adigalar, head of the Mannar Citizens’ Committee, along with residents and fellow protesters. Together, they marched to the Mannar bazaar where traders were handed leaflets denouncing the project.
Their arrival coincided with the expiry of the one-month deadline given by Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake to address the growing opposition to the project. That deadline, which ended on 12 September, has passed without a response from Colombo.
At a press briefing marking the 41st consecutive day of the protest, Father Marcus condemned the government’s silence. He said the community had approached the Mannar District Secretariat several times but were told no information had been received from the president’s office.
The Citizens’ Committee has placed three key demands before the government:
1. The immediate suspension and relocation of the four newly installed windmills and the ten additional towers planned for Mannar.
2. A ban on mineral sand excavation from the district.
3. Urgent relief for those already harmed by existing wind power projects.
“The protest is not against the government of Sri Lanka or any political party, but a fight for rights, for homes, and for the safeguarding of resources — a higher struggle for survival and dignity,” Father Marcus told reporters. He warned that if Colombo failed to respond, Mannar “might be turned into a battlefield.”
Protesters emphasised that they do not oppose wind energy itself, but reject any project imposed on Mannar that destroys livelihoods and habitats.
With more than 40 days of demonstrations, growing solidarity marches, and the president’s deadline now expired, anger is mounting as Colombo continues to ignore their demands.
