The Tamil Nation holds the districts of Amparai, Batticaloa, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Mullaithivu,Trincomalee and Vavuniya as its traditional homeland. There have been attempts by Sinhalese to colonise these areas for many decades, some even before independence. The Sinhalisation happens through state-sponsored landgrabs, including by the military, the archaeological department, Mahaweli Authority and the forestry and wildlife department. The Buddhist clergy has also been encouraging the claiming of “Buddhist heritage” sites. Colonies such as those in the Manalaaru area are designed to break the contiguity of the Tamil homeland, by bifurcating it at the narrow junction joining the East and the North. Districts such as Trincomalee and Amparai have seen a significant increase in the proportion of Sinhala residents in the past 100 years.