Tamils brave police intimidation to protest against illegal Buddhist temple in Jaffna

Tamils in Thaiyiddy, 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. 

Dozens of demonstrators gathered on Monday and Tuesday this week to protest against the vihara, as part of ongoing efforts to resist state attempts to colonise the Tamil North-East.

“Stop cultural genocide!” read one placard, whilst demonstrators chanted for the release of land that once belonged to Tamil families.

As the protest took place, armed and uniformed Sri Lankan police officers watched over it. Several members of the security forces, as well as Sinhala worshippers at the vihara, would photograph and film the participants in an apparent attempt at intimidation.

Amongst those present were politicians from both the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) and the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK).

The issue of the illegal Buddhist structure has been a source of contention for Tamils for years, after it was first built by military personnel in 2018. Despite local opposition and official records confirming that the shrine was erected on private land without government approval, it remains intact.

See more photographs from the demonstrations below.