Local fishermen in Passikudah protested against the development of tourism which they say is threatening their livelihoods.
The fisherfolk were asked by the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to vacate their anchorage point to make the land available for tourism.
Despite threats and warnings from the police and CID, with the police warning community leaders not to go through with it, the protest was held last week to correspond with the Global Action Week of the Land Rights Now Campaign.
Passikudah fishermen were previously restrained from protesting on the beach during a conference organised by the UN World Tourism Organisation.
Commenting on police crackdown on protests, the Society for Threatened Peoples said, "the people from Passikudah cannot exercise their freedom of expression."