It is important for the people of the South to understand our concerns.

A Community in Thaiyiddi has been in an endless struggle for their ancestral land years and Sukumari is one of them. When we as PARL met her last December there was only one thing she wanted from us and that was to help her tell her story to the South, so the South would wholeheartedly understand their struggle. 

This is Sukumari's story.

'' I am Sukumari Sarujan from Thaiyiddy, Jaffna. In our area, the government and military are causing serious injustices, and there are lot of chaos. The lands that Tamil people have owned as their homeland since around 1925 were taken over by the military during the ethnic conflict in the 1990s and converted into a high-security zone. The resettlement in 2015 cannot truly be called as resettlement. Although part of our land was returned, 10 acres were not released and were taken over by the military. On this land, a large Buddhist temple has been unlawfully built in the name of Lord Buddha, who teaches religion of loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity and rituals are being conducted there. Despite applying pressure on various parties and tirelessly advocating for justice, it remains out of reach. The state authorities said that resistance from the Sinhala people is a barrier to release of our lands, suggesting that unrest may arise in the south if the lands are released. We do not understand the reason behind this. Why should Sinhala people be concerned about the return of our own lands? Such statements likely arise from lack of understanding.

They are saying that Hindu temples exist in the South. However, Hindu temples are not built forcibly on private land but are constructed on land that rightfully belongs to them. In the North, the Nagadeepa Buddhist temple was preserved without any damage despite the war with the LTTE. Similarly, we do not cause any disturbance to the Buddhist devotees visiting the Jaffna Naga Vihara temple. We also visit these temples and participate in worship there. However, the Buddhist temple in Thaiyiddy has been built illegally, without any proper authorization or consent, and with the intent to deceive the public. This is our kind request from the people of the South through the PARL organization.

We are not asking anyone to trust us blindly. We have our own land titles and reliable sources to support our claim/s. Additionally, we possess the Divisional Secretary's report to the Parliament, as well as a report prepared by the Divisional Secretary confirming that the construction was done illegally. We urge you to bring these reports to the people of the South and explain them. Our request is that they stand with us and view this as an illegal structure rather than a Buddhist temple. We are not asking for the demolition of this building.

We are a people traumatized by war, and we do not want another war. However, when our fundamental rights are violated, we will stand up and fight against it. We are not asking for the Buddhist temple to be demolished. Our question is why a new temple is being built on our land when there is already evidence of an existing Buddhist temple owned title land. The Buddhist temple should be established only on land that is specifically their owned title land and suitable for such a purpose. We request that alternative land be provided in place of the land where the current Buddhist temple building has been constructed. Out of nearly 1,500 perches of land, we ask that 200 perches be allocated for the Buddhist temple building, and the remaining 1,300 perches be released.

Jaffna should return to the self-sufficient economy it had before 1990s. The people should be able to re-cultivate their lands and restore the area self-sufficiency. It is important for the people of the South to understand our concerns. Please understand, we are not against the Sinhala people or Buddhism. The Sinhala people are very kind. However, rulers often change their views. We are requesting the current government, which came to power claiming that previous governments were racist.

Your election campaign promised to put an end to the planned ethnic expansion, as stated in your election manifesto. The promises made in the election manifesto should now be implemented. The people, trusting in you, have a two-thirds majority. The Sinhala people will support your policies, as this represents the mandate of the entire nation. Therefore, we urge you to address our legitimate request and explain it to the people of the South. Please come forward to help free our lands. The PARL organization has also offered its support, and we extend our thanks to them as well. "