A New Year celebration titled the ‘Tamil-Sinhala New Year,’ organised by the Umanthava Buddhist Village and the Sri Sathagam Ashram group, was held in Neduntheevu on Monday, raising concerns over the growing Sinhala-Buddhist presence and cultural encroachment in the Tamil homeland.
The event took place at Maviddapuram Roman Catholic School in Neduntheevu (Delft Island), with around 350 Tamil school students. Sinhala Buddhist monks distributed New Year garments and provided a midday meal.
Attendees included Sri Samantabhadra Arahath Thero from the Umanthava Global Buddhist Village, the chief monk of Nainathivu Vihara, the Neduntheevu Divisional Secretary, members of the Sri Lankan Navy, and members of the school community.
The role of Sinhala-Buddhist monks has sparked concerns over the deliberate imposition of Sinhala-Buddhist cultural practices in Tamil spaces. Activists have pointed to the use of state-supported religious programmes to promote assimilation and diminish Tamil cultural identity in the North-East.
Such initiatives are not isolated. Tamil civil society groups and political leaders have long accused the Sri Lankan state of using such initiatives—often backed by the military or Buddhist clergy—to expand Sinhala-Buddhist influence across Tamil areas. This includes the construction of new Buddhist viharas and state-sponsored religious festivals in historically Tamil regions.
