TGTE: Thaiyiddy Buddhist Temple, Symbol of Sinhala Occupation, Should be Removed

Tamil Cultural Genocide for Assimilation into Sinhala Buddhism

by Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam, February 11, 2025

Following the 2009 Mullivaikkal genocide of the Tamils, the Sri Lankan State capitalized on

Eelam Tamils’ relatively weak position domestically to brazenly engage in cultural and

heritage genocide—forcing the assimilation (“Sinhalization”) of the Tamils and Muslims into

the Sinhala Buddhist polity. This includes the removal and destruction of Hindu temples at

Kurunthur Malai, Kuchchaveli, the illegal construction of a Buddhist temple in Thaiyiddy,

and several other destructions of Tamil heritage sites.

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Destroying Hindu/Saiva temples and mosques in the Tamil Homeland is not a new

phenomenon. In the 1970s, the notorious Sinhala chauvinist Minister Cyril Mathew created a

document (later published in his 1980s letter titled “Sri Lanka: An Appeal to UNESCO to

Safeguard and Preserve the Cultural Property in Sri Lanka Endangered by Racial Prejudice,

Unlawful Occupation, Or Wilful Destruction”
[https://www.jaffnahistory.com/Cyril.pdf] ) claiming evidence that over 2,000 Buddhist sites

are in the Tamil homeland. During the last presidential campaign, the leader of the United

National Party (UNP), Mr. Sajith Premadasa, stated as part of his election platform that he

would build 1,000 Buddhist temples in the Tamil Homeland. It is also believed that former

president and prime minister Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe had a similar plan. The position of

the current administration—that they will not remove the Thaiyiddy Buddhist temple—

shows that, despite changes in personnel, the Sinhala-Buddhist hegemony remains the same

in the current government and in the presidency. As the TGTE has stated repeatedly, there is

no space for Tamils to live in dignity and freedom due to the pervasive and entrenched

racism in the Sinhala Buddhist State.

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The 1949 Geneva Convention IV allows military occupation of civilian lands only if it is

imperative for the conduct of hostilities. Since the hostilities ended over 15 years ago, the

Sinhala military occupation of the Tamil homeland is a clear violation of international law. In

fact, Sri Lankan armed forces’ refusal to withdraw from civilian lands during the peace

process was a key reason for the breakdown of peace negotiations. Parallels can be drawn

between the building of Sinhala Buddhist temples in Tamil areas and Israel building a wall in

occupied Palestinian territory in 2003, for which the International Court of Justice found “…

the construction of the wall and its associated regime, by contributing to the demographic

changes mentioned, contravene article 49 paragraph 6 of the Fourth Geneva Convention…”

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The military has also planned to build various facilities around the Buddhist temple. (One

wonders what Lord Buddha would think of stationing armed forces around a Buddhist

temple!) Building a Buddhist temple in a place where no Sinhala civilians live is a clear act

of colonization of the Tamil homeland by the Sinhala polity. Thus, our request to remove the

Buddhist temple is de-colonization. (There is precedent in Sri Lanka for removing religious

sites. For example, in 2013, a Hindu temple in Dambulla was destroyed. Furthermore, several

Hindu temples and Saiva holy sites were destroyed in the Keerimalai, Kankesanthurai, and

Sampil areas by the Sri Lankan military.)

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According to the US State Department’s 2016 International Religious Freedom Report, “…

the construction of Buddhist shrines by Buddhist groups or the military in parts of the

Northern and Eastern provinces became contentious symbols of perceived Buddhist

Sinhalese religious and cultural imperialism” despite objections and resistance from non-

Buddhist locals. [https://www.state.gov/reports/2016-report-on-international-religious-

freedom/sri-lanka/]

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A 2023 Human Rights Watch report discusses how government-backed land grabs are

targeting Tamil and other minority communities, often using draconian counterterrorism laws

to silence dissenting voices. [https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/09/18/if-we-raise-our-voice-

they-arrest-us/sri-lankas-proposed-truth-and-reconciliation].

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From the first day when construction of the Thaiyiddy Buddhist temple began, the Tamil

National People’s Front (TNPF) and other Tamil civil society organizations opposed and

staged protests, along with the Tamil landowners whose private land was illegally stolen. The

Sri Lankan State is trying to create a “fait accompli” on the ground in order to keep the

temple permanently. This cunning action is not only a thumbing of the nose at the Tamil

Nation but also displays a wanton disregard for international law. There is no equivalence

between Hindu temples & Muslim mosques located in Sinhala areas and Sinhala temples in

Tamil areas; the former are under the Sinhala regime and thus cannot be perceived as

symbols of occupation or colonization—a stark contrast from Buddhist temples in Tamil

areas.

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The TGTE has sent a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding this

matter.

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In Solidarity,

Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran

Prime Minister

Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE)