Securing the Maritime Territory Resources of Tamil Homeland

A Call to Respect Indigenous Rights in Sri Lanka

The Escalating Crisis of Dispossession

Since 2009, Tamil-speaking individuals—including Tamils, Muslims, and Christians—have faced growing restrictions on their fundamental rights across the Northern and Eastern Provinces. While the suppression of land rights, memorial rights, freedom of expression, and media rights has been heavily documented, the systematic denial of ocean rights represents a severe escalation. The loss of homeland maritime access and marine resources threatens the core of the region's territorial integrity and economic survival.

Resource Extraction and the Mannar Basin

The encroachment on territorial waters is increasingly driven by aggressive economic extraction. Sri Lanka has scientifically confirmed the presence of natural gas deposits in the Mannar Basin. Consequently, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) officially launched an international investor selection process in August 2026 to extract and utilize these lucrative resources.¹ These actions, framed as national economic development, effectively alienate the local Indigenous populations from the wealth embedded within their historical waters.

MoUs and Bilateral Agreements (2009–2026)

Since the end of the civil war in 2009, the bilateral relationship between India and Sri Lanka has been increasingly defined by a series of approximately 19 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and agreements.² These instruments systematically facilitate Indian entry into the Northern and Eastern Provinces, covering critical sectors such as:

●       Maritime Security

●       Renewable Energy

●       Digital Infrastructure

●       Port Development

Indian Entities and Stakeholders

The execution of these MoUs is driven by a diverse array of Indian entities active in the Tamil homeland. This network includes:

●       Central government public sector undertakings (PSUs)

●       Large private conglomerates

●       Specialized maritime service providers

These actors represent the operational hand of "ocean grabbing," translating high-level geopolitical policy into physical infrastructure and direct resource control.

UN Ocean Grabbing Violations and International Law

The actions of the Indian and Sri Lankan states in the Northern and Eastern provinces must be critically analyzed under several international legal frameworks. These frameworks suggest that the bilateral MoUs and the projects they facilitate constitute a breach of established norms.

“Taken together, Indo‑Lanka bilateral arrangements, ocean grabbing, and militarized coastal governance have produced a layered regime of dispossession in the Eelam Tamil maritime homeland. Aligning practice with UNCLOS, UNDRIP, IHL, and the Rome Statute requires a fundamental shift: from security‑ and growth‑centric approaches to rights‑based, community‑centred governance that recognizes Tamil territorial integrity, ensures justice, and sustains the livelihoods and cultural lifeworlds of coastal communities.”

A Call to Action

We urgently call upon the governments of India and Sri Lanka to halt extractive practices and unilateral development projects that violate the rights of the Tamil-speaking people. True regional stability cannot be built upon the economic and spatial disenfranchisement of the North and East. Adherence to international law mandates that local communities be placed at the center of maritime governance.

Endnotes

1.     CPC Seeks Investors As Natural Gas Confirmed in Mannar Basin, Newsfirst, August 13, 2026.

2.     Completed Projects | High Commission of India, Colombo outlining India's project scopes in the Northern and Eastern provinces.

 

     In solidarity,

     Wimal Navaratnam

     Human Rights Defender |Independent Researcher | ABC Tamil Oli              (ECOSOC)

      Email: tamilolicanada@gmail.com

Intended audience and use Audience: Policymakers, international legal bodies, human rights investigators, forensic researchers, advocacy organizations, and affected communities. 

Use: Executive Summary and timeline for rapid briefing; consolidated legal framework for legal assessment; appendices for source verification and methodological transparency.