Cultural Heritage Erasure: Sinhalisation of Tamil & Muslim Spaces

This dossier aggregates documentation demonstrating the coordinated post-2009 effort to erase Tamil and Muslim cultural heritage, particularly in the North and East of Sri Lanka. It outlines how military occupation, land reclassification, and archaeological interventions are employed to alter demographics, appropriate land, and overwrite indigenous cultural narratives with Sinhala Buddhist ones. ### Why it matters This pattern of cultural erasure is critical evidence of structural genocide, aiming to dismantle the distinct identity and historical claims of Tamil and Muslim communities. It underpins arguments regarding the state's intent to permanently alter the cultural and demographic landscape, thereby undermining future claims for self-determination or regional autonomy. ### What the citations establish Tier-A citations from organizations like PEARL, Oakland Institute, and HRW establish a multi-pronged approach to Sinhalisation. This includes the military's ongoing occupation of private and public lands (Oakland Institute, HRW), the reclassification of Tamil-inhabited areas as forest reserves or wildlife sanctuaries to prevent return and facilitate new appropriations (Conservation & Society), and the establishment of all-Sinhala bodies to unilaterally control and re-interpret archaeological sites in Tamil and Muslim majority areas (Gazette Extraordinary No. 2178/17). The destruction of the Mullikulam Catholic church and graveyard (HRW), military control over Mullaitivu (Adayaalam/PEARL), and the historical evidence of the Kuragala/Daftar Jailani Sufi shrine's demolition and replacement by a stupa (Routledge, 2016) collectively demonstrate a consistent pattern of deliberate cultural displacement and overwriting, extending beyond initial post-war land grabs.

Citations