Buddha Statue Issue Confirms the Existence of Two Nations in Sri Lanka – Analyst Yothilingam
24-Nov-2025.
Political analyst and social science researcher C.A. Yothilingam stated that when the Buddha statue placed in Trincomalee was removed by police, Sinhala politicians condemned it, whereas Tamil politicians supported the move. This, he said, reaffirmed the existence of two nations in Sri Lanka.
Speaking to the media today regarding the Buddha statue issue, he said:
Following the incident, Sumanthiran had called for all MPs from the North and East to resign. Batticaloa MP Shanakyian had said Trincomalee MP and Deputy Minister Arun Ramachandra should immediately join their party.
Yet none of them issued even a single statement opposing Sajith Premadasa’s remarks— although they had urged people to vote for him. This clearly shows the contradictory positions they adopt.
Regarding the Buddha vihara disputes, there is an issue of encroachment, a legal issue, and a political issue.
The encroachment aspect is what most concerns Tamil people, because Trincomalee District is the region most affected by systematic encroachments. Illegal settlements, planned agricultural colonisation, planned fisheries settlements, military farm settlements, business settlements, and religious settlements— all have been tested there.
In Trincomalee town, every encroachment has been illegal. None were carried out lawfully. The lands surrounding the Konesar Temple were royal endowments granted specifically to the temple during ancient times. The Portuguese and Dutch confiscated these lands, and later many were seized by the state.
Thus, the government cannot claim ancestral rights. Moreover, only in 2014, after the temple was reopened, was a document issued under Mahinda Rajapaksa’s administration.
This entire area is fully encroached, and these issues must be brought to light.
The legal issue arises because even for residents to build a boundary wall on their own land, approval from the local authority is required. In this case, no approval was obtained from the Trincomalee Municipal Council or the Coastal Conservation Department. The Buddha statue was installed overnight— a clear case of illegal encroachment.
Due to the government’s crackdown on narcotics and corruption, the Sinhala community has become anxious, fearing that the law may affect them. To amplify their protest against this, they have used the Buddha statue issue, he alleged.
Nationalists have manipulated this issue for political gains. Therefore, Tamil representatives must document all forms of encroachment by the state and publicise them locally and internationally.
The National People’s Power (NPP) government appears to be operating in fear. They first said Heroes’ Day could be observed without fear, then later said commemorating ‘terrorists’ was unacceptable. They commemorate ‘Karthigai Heroes’ but impose a different standard on us,” he said.
