Villages in northern Sri Lanka have been protesting for weeks against the second phase of a 50 MW wind power project. The latter has “serious environmental consequences”, Fr Marcus Adigalar, parish priest of Thalaimannar, told AsiaNews. The project impacts marine and coastal ecosystems. Dissanayake is open to dialogue. Young people are calling for permits to be cancelled and a protected area to be created.
Tomorrow, 15 August, is the deadline set by the Mahaweli Authority for “unauthorised possession of government land”. Over 500 families have already left out of fear. Farmers tell AsiaNews: ‘The army supported us, we survived the war.’ The crops have been there since 1955, then resumed in 2010 due to an attack by the Tamil Tigers.
90 boys and girls walked 27 km from Balangoda to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Assumption, Thanjanthenna. Fr Hariharan Rajappriya: ‘Pilgrimage to understand life’. Accompanied by concern for the environment with the participation of Buddhist monk Wekandawala Rahula Thero. Bishop Croos: ‘Young people united thanks to new and diverse work’.
In 2024, a record number of Indian fishermen were arrested, over 500 in one year. The problem has grown since the end of the internal conflict in 2009. The people of the north, already scarred by war, are paying the price. Calls for the application of international standards in the sector.
The government admits that 20,000 students have dropped out of school, while another 80,000 do not attend classes regularly. Inequality is increasing in a system marked by economic crisis and a lack of subsidies. Teachers and unions complain: “No one is trying to get these kids back to school.”
Galamuduna Kanishta School, a rural establishment with just 21 students and a one teacher, has achieved extraordinary results in the latest national exam. Janaka Dhanuddhara, who is both principal and teacher, walks several kilometres to reach the school, which has no Internet and few transportation options. A wave of solidarity has brought help, while parents are calling for more support to ensure a future for their children.
