MP Shanakiyan meets Dutch Ambassador
04-Sep-2026.
Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian R. Shanakiyan has told Dutch Ambassador to Sri Lanka Wiebke de Boer that measures aimed at altering the demographic composition of Tamil-populated areas in the Northern and Eastern Provinces are continuing.
During his meeting with the Dutch Ambassador on September 3, he raised the issue and held extensive discussions on the political, land and livelihood-related problems faced by Tamil people living in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
he pointed out that measures aimed at altering the demographic composition of Tamil areas in the North and East had been pursued not only in the past but were also continuing under the present Government.
He cited the ongoing moves to take over traditional grazing lands such as Mayilathamadu-Madhavanai from Tamil communities and establish settlements there as a key example of such measures.
“On the one hand, the Tamil people continue to demand a political solution, while on the other, they are calling for Provincial Council elections to be held without delay. However, if efforts to establish settlements of the majority community in the traditional areas of the Tamil people continue, there is a risk that the representation and political strength of the Tamil people in any political structure, including Provincial Councils, will be affected in the future,” he said.
He further explained that if the proportion of the Tamil population is reduced, even the creation of a new Constitution or a new political structure would not bring any meaningful benefit to the Tamil people.
“It cannot be accepted that certain other matters are being projected as achievements of the Government without addressing the genuine problems faced by the Tamil people. Our people must assess the actions of the Government with a clear understanding of their fundamental political and livelihood rights,” he stressed.
He also raised several issues directly affecting the day-to-day livelihoods of the people in various parts of the Northern and Eastern Provinces, including Batticaloa District.
These included long-standing land ownership disputes, lands that remain under military control without being released to their rightful owners, the impact of the Mahaweli Development Programme, boundary demarcation activities by the Forest and Wildlife Conservation Departments, and land ownership disputes arising from activities of the Department of Archaeology.
