Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence has dismissed rumors of any military withdrawal from temples and religious sites, affirming that troops stationed for “security” will remain, as Buddhist shrines continue to be established across the Tamil North-East. Colonel Nalin Herath, representing the Ministry, firmly denied social media claims hinting at a reduced military presence.

This announcement coincides with the ongoing construction of Sinhala Buddhist sites across the North-East, which many view as part of an effort to settle the Tamil homeland. Numerous sites have been built under the patronage or protection of the armed forces, Tamil Guardian confirms.

The statement rejecting any military withdrawal underscores the deeply entrenched militarization in the Srilanka’s North-East, which remains one of the world’s most militarized areas. In the Mullaitivu District, for instance, there is roughly one soldier for every two civilians. Religious sites, such as the Maviddapuram Pillaiyar Kovil, have been affected as well, with new Buddhist viharas and statues erected on temple grounds.

Furthermore, 420 acres of Tamil land in Kumalamunai, once the site of a historic Hindu temple, were “repurposed” for the Kurunthur Malai Vihara project by the Department of Archaeology and military forces, despite court rulings that favored the local Tamil community as per Tamil media in Sri Lanka.

Srilanka’s Tamil chaos, a background:

Sri Lanka is an island nation with a population of approximately 22 million people. The country is primarily inhabited by two main ethnic groups: the Sinhalese, who make up over 75 percent of the population, and the Sri Lankan Tamils, who comprise over 10 percent. In 1983, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers, launched a large-scale armed struggle against the predominantly Sinhalese-led Sri Lankan government. The LTTE sought to establish an independent state, known as Tamil Eelam, across the northern and eastern regions of Sri Lanka. Although the LTTE lost its stronghold in the Jaffna peninsula (the northernmost part of Sri Lanka) in 1995, by 1998, the Tamil Tigers held substantial territory in both the north and east. The civil conflict concluded in 2009, with a decisive and complete victory for the Sri Lankan government.