The Sri Lankan army held a pooja at the Tissa Raja Vihara, a Buddhist temple which was illegally constructed in Thaiyiddy, Jaffna.
Tamil protesters joined by the Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), held black flags outside the illegally constructed temple to demand the return of the land privately owned by 14 Tamil families but is occupied by the Sri Lankan army.
Since May 2023, Tamils have been protesting to demand the removal of the vihara. However, there has been no action from the Sri Lankan government or its military to remove the Buddhist structure.
Since the end of the armed conflict, there has been a surge of Sinhala Buddhist structures and symbols across the Tamil North-East where they previously did not exist.
The Sri Lankan government, aided by its military and archaeology department, continued to alter the demography of the Tamil homeland by seizing Tamil and Muslim lands and places of worship.