The long festering controversy over the installation of wind turbines on Mannar Island has taken a turn for the worse with mass demonstrations and a hartal taking place. The escalation has followed police forcibly removing protestors, including Catholic priests and women seated on the road preventing the transport of machinery to the proposed site. The National Peace Council expresses its concern at the situation and actions taken which have led to more polarization on the issue.
The government’s action is seen by the protestors as a breach of faith. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake during the election campaign in Mannar pledged not to proceed with any project opposed by the people, specifically naming the wind turbine proposal of the India-based Adani Group. It is regrettable that this police action occurred while the president was attending the 80th United Nations session on Sustainable Development Goals. The National Peace Council urges the president upon return to Sri Lanka, to intervene and seek a mutually acceptable solution through discussions as he has promised.
The current project by a domestic company is a follow up to the foreign direct investment project proposed by the Adani Group. The environmental concerns, however, remain unchanged with salinization of waterways, risk of flooding, and damage to livelihoods on an island largely below sea level. Similar fears surround a proposed mineral sand mining project by an Australian company.
The National Peace Council appreciates the government’s aim to boost electricity capacity and its concern for earning foreign exchange to repay international debt. However, Mannar, as a former war zone, requires sensitivity to ethnic and religious sentiment. The police has a duty to maintain order, but using force against peaceful protestors risks escalation. Future policing must prioritise de-escalation and judicial guidance. The government has negotiated with other protesting groups such as postal and electricity board employees and reached solutions. The same approach should be applied in Mannar.
Governing Council
The National Peace Council is an independent and non partisan organization that works towards a negotiated political solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. It has a vision of a peaceful and prosperous Sri Lanka in which the freedom, human rights and democratic rights of all the communities are respected. The policy of the National Peace Council is determined by its Governing Council of 20 members who are drawn from diverse walks of life and belong to all the main ethnic and religious communities in the country.