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Tamil Diaspora: Under the 1960 UN Decolonization Principle, Lands Belonging to the Tamil Kingdom Must Be Returned to the Tamil People
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tamil Diaspora News states that Sri Lanka’s claim over all so-called “State land” in the Tamil homeland is illegitimate when viewed through the 1960 United Nations decolonization principle.
The 1960 UN Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples affirmed that colonized peoples have the right to self-determination and that colonial domination must end. Based on this principle, lands that historically belonged to the Tamil Kingdom must belong to the Tamil people. Likewise, lands historically belonging to the Sinhala Kingdom may remain under the Sinhala/Sri Lankan state.
How the Concept of “State Land” Was Created
The concept of “State Land” in Sri Lanka did not come from ancient justice or the free consent of the Tamil people. It came through colonial rule and later Sinhala-majority state control.
The historical chain is clear:
Customary/local land → British Crown land → post-1948 Sri Lankan State land → central government allocation/control.
Before colonial rule, land was connected to local kingdoms, village customs, temple ownership, farming rights, and traditional community use. Under British rule, lands that people could not prove with colonial-style documents were treated as Crown land. After independence in 1948, the new Sri Lankan State inherited this colonial land system and renamed Crown land as State land.
This means much of today’s “State land” is not morally or historically legitimate. It is colonial Crown land continued under a Sinhala-majority central government.
The problem is that the British colonial administration merged distinct historic territories into one artificial unit for administrative convenience. After independence, the Sinhala-majority Sri Lankan government inherited that colonial structure and used it to claim control over Tamil lands as “State land.” This is not justice. This is the continuation of colonial rule under a new Sinhala-controlled state.
For decades, the Sri Lankan government has taken Tamil lands through military occupation, settlement schemes, archaeological claims, forest and wildlife declarations, Buddhistization, and so-called development projects. These policies have changed demographics, weakened Tamil ownership, and attempted to erase the historic Tamil homeland.
Tamil Diaspora News declares that all lands taken from the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan Sinhala government must be returned to the Tamil people. The Tamil people must have the right to decide the future of their lands when they restore their sovereignty.
This is not a request for charity or devolution. It is a demand based on history, justice, and international decolonization principles.
The Tamil people had their own historic homeland, their own kingdom, their own language, their own culture, and their own political identity before colonial rule. Therefore, the Tamil homeland cannot be treated as property of a Sinhala-dominated State created through colonial unification.
Tamil Diaspora News calls on the United Nations, international governments, and human rights organizations to recognize that Sri Lanka’s “State land” policy is being used as a weapon against the Tamil people. Land is the foundation of sovereignty. Without land, there is no safety, no dignity, and no future for the Tamil nation.
Tamil Diaspora News Demands:
1. Return all lands taken from Tamils by the Sri Lankan State.
2. Stop military occupation and Sinhala-Buddhist settlement in Tamil areas.
3. Recognize that lands of the former Tamil Kingdom belong to the Tamil people.
4. Apply the 1960 UN decolonization principle to the Tamil homeland.
5. Allow Tamils to decide their political future through restoration of sovereignty and an internationally supervised referendum.
amil Diaspora News firmly states:
Land that belonged to the Tamil Kingdom belongs to the Tamil people. Land that belonged to the Sinhala Kingdom may belong to the Sinhala State. The colonial merger cannot be used forever to deny Tamil sovereignty.
The only path to lasting peace is to accept historical truth, return occupied Tamil lands, and allow the Tamil people to restore their sovereignty through international law and democratic self-determination.
Contact:
Tamil Diaspora News
www.TamilDiasporaNews.com
Thank you,
Tamil Diaspora News
May 30. 2026