The Law & Society Trust expresses its grave concern and deep sadness regarding the violence unleashed against residents of Mannar who were peacefully protesting the ongoing wind turbine project that threatens their environment and livelihoods. Reports indicate that police forces resorted to brutal attacks against community members who were resisting the sudden transport of turbine parts to Mannar, despite the governmentโs repeated assurances of dialogue and transparency before advancing the project.
For several months, the people of Mannar have raised serious concerns about the impact of the wind farm projects on their lives and livelihoods. Communities have consistently pointed to flooding caused by altered water flows, contamination of drinking water, the spread of disease, the disruption of fisheries and agriculture, and significant ecological damage, including harm to migratory bird patterns. These concerns are neither new nor unfounded. They are rooted in lived experiences and well-documented environmental risks.
It is especially troubling that these incidents occurred after the President himself pledged to suspend further work until a committee report was finalized and shared. The government has chosen to move forward without disclosing the reportโs findings or engaging in any meaningful consultation with affected communities. The attempt to proceed unilaterally and the use of police force to silence legitimate dissent constitute a serious violation of democratic rights, human dignity, and the constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
The Law & Society Trust, which for more than four decades has worked to advance human rights, equality, dignity, and justice in Sri Lanka, calls on the government to:
๐ฐ๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐;
๐ฌ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐;
๐ช๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐;
๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ด๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐
-๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
๐ป๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
Development cannot come at the expense of the lives, livelihoods, and dignity of people. The people of Mannar, like all communities in Sri Lanka, have the right to be heard, to live in safety, and to protect their environment. It is the responsibility of the government to respect and uphold these rights.
Law & Society Trust
Colombo, Sri Lanka.
