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Tamils Must Demand Dismantling of Illegal Viharai, Not Compensation: Land Seizure Disguised as “Resolution” Threatens Tamil Homeland
December 26, 2025 — Jaffna / International
Tamil civil society and diaspora organizations must categorically reject the Sri Lankan government’s position that compensation or substitute land is an acceptable solution for lands seized to construct the Thaiyiddi Thissa Viharai. Compensation does not remedy an illegal act; it legitimizes it. The only lawful and just resolution is the dismantling of the viharai and the full restoration of the original lands to their rightful owners.
Sri Lankan authorities have now openly acknowledged that the Thaiyiddi Thissa Viharai was constructed on private Tamil-owned land. Yet, instead of rectifying the illegality, the government proposes compensation or alternative land, effectively converting a land grab into a permanent state-backed acquisition. This approach violates basic principles of property rights, equality before the law, and international human rights standards.
A viharai built as a Mahavamsa-driven Sinhala-Buddhist political symbol cannot replace a Hindu temple, a Tamil Buddhist site, or any Tamil cultural or religious symbol. This is not a neutral religious issue; it is a state-sponsored cultural and territorial assertion imposed on the Tamil homeland under military protection. Allowing such structures to remain sets a dangerous precedent.
Globally, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and forced demographic change often begin not with mass expulsions, but with incremental land seizures, followed by compensation, coercive purchases, or “legalization” under military presence. History shows that once land seizure is normalized through payments, the original people steadily lose territorial control.
The Palestinian experience stands as a sobering historical warning. Large portions of Palestinian land were initially lost through coerced sales, political pressure, and unequal power relations, later enforced by state power. Over time, Palestinians were left confined to fragmented territories such as Gaza and the West Bank. This did not occur overnight; it happened step by step, under the guise of legality and compensation.
If viharai construction is allowed to spread across the Tamil homeland—each time justified by compensation, alternative land, or so-called reconciliation—the inevitable outcome will be systematic dispossession. Under military presence, landowners face implicit threats, documentation challenges, and pressure to accept state terms. This is not consent; it is coercion.
International law is clear: illegal occupation of private land, coupled with cultural imposition and military enforcement, cannot be cured by compensation alone. Remedies must restore the status quo ante. Anything less rewards illegality and encourages repetition.
True coexistence cannot be built on unequal power, historical erasure, or forced acceptance of dominant religious symbols. Peace is not achieved by asking victims to surrender land in exchange for money. It is achieved by upholding justice, equality, and the right of peoples to safeguard their land, culture, and historical continuity.
Tamils therefore must demand:
- Immediate dismantling of the Thaiyiddi Thissa Viharai
- Full restoration of seized lands to original owners
- An end to state-backed religious and demographic colonization in the Tamil homeland
Compensation is not justice.
Replacement land is not restitution.