Colombo, August 18, 2025: Shops and businesses across Sri Lanka’s Tamil-majority north and east shut down on Monday as residents observed a symbolic hartal against the continued military presence 16 years after the civil war ended.
The protest was sparked by the recent killing of 32-year-old Ethirmanasingham Kapilraj from Mullaitivu, allegedly by soldiers. Police have since arrested three military personnel. In response, the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) called for the hartal, urging President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to order a “thorough, unhindered investigation” and to address what it described as “oppressive militarisation” of Tamil regions.
Government response
Cabinet spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa urged residents not to fall for “false information and distortions” and assured that a fair investigation would be carried out.
While the hartal drew visible support in towns across Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, and Batticaloa, Tamil political parties were divided. Some ITAK factions and rival Tamil groups declined to join, though Malaiyaha Tamil and Muslim leaders, including Mano Ganesan, Jeevan Thondaman, and Rauff Hakeem, backed the call, saying demilitarisation remains a pressing need.
Militarisation concerns
The protest underscored enduring Tamil grievances over land seizures, surveillance, and the Army’s role in civilian life in the north and east. Despite limited land returns during 2015–2019, locals say large areas remain under military control, with soldiers still engaged in agriculture, business, and public spaces.
President Dissanayake, who won strong Tamil backing in last year’s election, has promised to restore occupied land. In late 2024, the Palaly–Achchuveli road in Jaffna was reopened after decades of military control. But officials admit that “bureaucratic hurdles and resistance within the military” are slowing the handover of land to rightful owners.
Rights concerns
The UN Human Rights Office recently noted that “sixteen years after the end of the war, meaningful security sector reform is yet to take place,” warning of entrenched surveillance and lack of accountability.
Those fears deepened last week when journalist Kanapathippillai Kumanan, known for covering protests and land rights struggles, was interrogated for seven hours by the Counter Terrorism Investigation Division (CTID). International rights groups, including Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists, condemned the move as harassment and an attack on press freedom.
For many Tamils, the hartal was not just about Kapilraj’s killing, but a reminder that the war’s legacies—land occupation, surveillance, and militarisation—remain unresolved nearly two decades after the conflict ended.