Sri Lanka officials’ sand mining plans thwarted by Tamil resistance

A group of Sri Lankan public officials faced strong resistance from Tamil residents as they attempted to illegally occupy hundreds of acres of coastal land for mineral sand mining, threatening the livelihoods of fishermen in the war-affected North-East.

On July 31, officials from various Sri Lankan institutions arrived at Alampil Beach in Mullaitivu district's Maritimepattu area to conduct tests for a proposed mining project that would encompass a 750-acre stretch of coastline, impacting the community's primary source of income.

Former Northern Provincial Council Member Thurairasa Ravikaran, alerted to the officials’ presence, quickly mobilized local Eelam Tamils to oppose the project. The officials’ plan included mining mineral sand between Alampil and Theerthakarai, extending 300 meters from the beach, but residents argued that land decisions could not be made without public consultation, emphasizing that the land belongs to the community.

When one of the officials tried to communicate in Sinhala, Ravikaran insisted on Tamil, stating, “If you cannot speak in Tamil, bring officials who can.”

Previously, during the tenure of the Northern Provincial Council, a 44-acre area in Kokilai was protected from mineral sand mining, but operations resumed after the Council’s term ended, affecting land owned by 16 private individuals. In February 2022, Tamil residents who had lost their land staged protests near a Tamil public school in Kokilai, drawing attention to their plight. During these protests, a sign bearing the words “Industries Ministry-Lanka Mineral Sands Limited-Kokilai” was photographed, highlighting the ongoing struggle against land appropriation.

Ravikaran accused the government of trying to displace Tamil fishermen from their coastal homes without consulting the affected communities or their leaders. He expressed concerns about the potential displacement of residents along the proposed sand mining route from Kokilai to Alampil and Theerthakarai, warning that such actions could spark widespread protests. “Some people work on the beach. The motive is to put an end to their occupations. If these departments try to interfere with our livelihood, we will not allow it. We will have to gather tens of thousands of people and protest,” he stated.

Local media reported that officials from the Sri Lanka Coast Guard, Lanka Mineral Sands Limited, Wildlife Conservation Department, Central Environment Authority, Irrigation Department, Dam Safety and Water Resources Planning Project, Geological Survey and Mines Bureau, as well as the land officer from the Maritimepattu Provincial Secretariat and the Grama Niladhari, ultimately left the area due to public opposition.

This incident is part of a broader pattern of land conflicts in the North-East, where Tamil residents have repeatedly protested against government attempts to demarcate and occupy public land. The ongoing tensions reflect deep-seated grievances over land rights and the preservation of local livelihoods in a region still grappling with the aftermath of conflict, with the Sri Lankan military still occupying swathes of land across the Tamil homeland.