Since the British left the island, this department's primary goal has been to recognize all Buddhist archeological symbols discovered in Sri Lanka as Sinhala-Buddhist archeological symbols. Furthermore, history has taught all Tamils that, even in cases where Sinhala-Buddhist archeology is discovered, the Department of Archeology in Sri Lanka has an obligation to abandon, conceal, destroy, or alter it in any way. This includes any archeological symbol that might prove this.
The theory that the northeast is the homeland of Tamils has been destroyed by the publication of such unscientific, distorted results of archeological research through the Department of Archeology for the last 75 years. Additionally, by transforming the northeast into the traditional habitat of Sinhala-Buddhists through Sinhala-Buddhism, the Sinhala-Buddhists are invading the Tamil homeland. It has been the main target of Buddhist bigotry.
Such activities incite fear among the Tamil people about their existence, much like government-sponsored agricultural settlement projects, the finding of Buddhist relics in Tamil areas, and the fact that they have always been the first step to Sinhalese settlers' encroachment of the Tamil homeland.
The issue of the Vedukunaari Hill Adi Lingeswarar Temple is one of the hundreds of such initiatives. The Department of Antiquities' records make it abundantly evident that the demand for an ancient material symbol of Buddhism that appeared out of nowhere in 2017 on Vedukunari Hill—a longtime site of worship for the Tamil Saivite people—is intended to tax the hill not only as a Buddhist symbol but also as a joint Sinhala-Buddhist symbol.
Regarding this dispute between the two races, which has been the subject of a court case ever since, it is consistently biased not only because the Department of Archaeology but also because the Sri Lankan police have been using unlawful force and violence against the Tamil people in all such disputes in support of Sinhala-Buddhist chauvinism.
The Department of Economic Affairs and the Police Department are still taking ludicrous and unfair actions with the intention of permanently evicting the Tamil people from Vedukunari Hill, despite the verdicts in the court cases that have been held thus far to highlight the justice on the side of the Tamil people.
The police department attempted multiple times to prohibit worship on March 8, the Shaivites' most significant day of spiritual devotion, but each time they saw the court order, they were forced to accept it. However, they have consistently behaved in a disrespectful and upsetting manner toward the temple's residents. Worship was entirely suspended despite the court in Eerit's approval, and the arrestees were treated in a manner that brought to mind the footage of the Sri Lankan army's massacres. By fabricating accusations for the media and the court case, the police department is pursuing cases against the detained devotees in an effort to keep them behind bars for as long as possible.
Such violent efforts are sustained by the deeply ingrained Sinhala-Buddhist chauvinism in the Sinhalese mindset, even while the island finds itself in an unprecedented economic calamity as a result of the ongoing chauvinistic agenda. Such incidents demonstrate how fascinated the government and administrative apparatus of Sri Lanka are with Sinhala-Buddhist bigotry. Although the leaders of the Sinhala-Buddhist movement nominally speak of ethnic harmony, their deeds, their silence at such occasions, and their harsh remarks work against it.
Such anti-Tamil acts are still carried out by Sinhala-Buddhist chauvinism, as if they feel that the violent battle between the countries on this island has come to an end and they smear it in the face of these outside forces that demand our belief.
The Tamil people are sick and tired of denouncing such sinister, destructive, and Buddhist chauvinist goals along with the repugnant aggressiveness and violations of human rights that accompany them.
At this point, it is imperative that all Tamil people stand united against activities that undermine their national identities, regardless of differences in religion or geography. Leaders and parties should step forward and act as catalysts and leading forces to rally people with a single principle beyond electoral politics, claiming to be the leaders of the Tamil people. Our nation is on the verge of annihilation, and the only way to save it is for all of us to become so conscious of this and to mobilize around it.