A “silent war” through the military occupation of Tamil land in Sri Lanka continues to seek “Sinhalese domination in former Tamil homelands,” found a report by a US think tank, the Oakland Institute.

The Long Shadow of War: Struggle for Justice in Post War Sri Lanka, released on Thursday, highlighted that at least 160,000 military Sinhalese soldiers remained in the Tamil north-East of Sri Lanka, with the military involved in processes that seized land from local populations and “systematically” suppressed Tamil culture and history.

The Oakland  Institute’s executive director, Anuradha Mittal, noting that the new Sri Lankan government’s action ‘rebuffs the current government pledges to credibly investigate alleged war crimes, called on the international community to ensure the rights of minorities were protected.

In a press release launching the report, she added,

“This is a vital moment for the future of Sri Lanka. Until the new government takes decisive action to curtail and reverse the colonization process, truly replacing the culture of impunity with a culture of responsibility and accountability, there is little hope that the Tamils and other minorities will be treated justly. It should be the responsibility of the international community, and not a political dilemma, to ensure the human and land rights of the minorities in Sri Lanka.”

Noting demographic changes in the eastern provinces, the report found that some areas had seen the Tamil population halve due to state actions.

Commenting on post-conflict “Sinhalisation” of the North-East the US think-tank found that Sri Lanka had used anti-terrorism to justify the destruction of memorial sites for ex-LTTE cadres and the “ongoing militarisation of the North and takeover of Tamil lands.”

Between December 2014 and January 2015 the Oakland institute carried out research and fieldwork to document the state of land conflicts and displacement.

A Buddhist temple is being built illegally on Tamil-owned land in Mullaitivu.

Lands privately owned by Tamils as well as some land belonging to Mullaitivu’s Kokkilai hospital have been illegally appropriated by a Buddhist monk, with the support of the military, for the purposes of building a grand Buddhist vihara.

Over twenty soldiers were seen taking part in the construction of the temple.

The chief minister of the Northern Province, members of parliament, school students and teachers jointly presented a petition to Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, calling for the immediate release of students who were arrested in Jaffna earlier this month.

The petition, delivered to Mr Sirisena as he visited the Jaffna Vembadi women’s higher secondary school, contained the names of students arrested by Sri Lankan police for allegedly participating in a protest against the rape and murder of a Tamil schoolgirl.

Mr Sirisena told the audience that he “will take actions to investigate this matter soon” adding that those who were proven to be innocent would be released.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) opened a roofing factory in Ampara on Wednesday.

The Sri Lankan military hosted an event earlier this month to “educate” the women of Kilinochchi about personal hygiene, reports the Sri Lankan army.

The family of murdered schoolgirl S Vithiya have said that they are experiencing ongoing harassment and have requested to be relocated.

Vithiya’s mother and brother told Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena during his visit that they feared for their safety and wished to be moved.