The residents of Pallimunai in Mannar and Pungudutivu in Jaffna took to the streets last week to protests over the Sri Lankan government’s failure to address their grievances on a range of issues, from Sinhala settlers disrupting their livelihood through sea cucumber farms to illegal sand mining.

The protest was led by the Pallimunai St.Lucia Fisherfolk Cooperative Society and galvanized the support of several residents in the area who marched up to the Mannar District Secretariat. 

Reporters say hundreds of people had participated in the protest adding that they had brought up these concerns during the District Coordinating Committee meeting, but no solutions were presented. 

Moreover, the fishermen taking part in the protest cited demands such as rectifying affected land boundaries and traditional worship rights, and the removal of a coastal sea cucumber farm, which has been set up as disturbances to the business activities of small-scale fishermen.

Meanwhile, protests were also held in Pungudutivu over claims that Sinhala individuals from the South were setting up fish farms and were engaged in illegal sand mining.

The protestors held placards and shouted slogans saying that individuals from the South had set up sea cucumber farms in their areas with complete disregard for existing livelihood activities. They also called upon officials to halt illegal sand mining which was destroying Pungudutivu resources.