In 1823 the British began moving Tamil populations from South India to employ them as cheap labor. Cardinal Ranjith: “A form of slavery that is still in force in many jobs. They should be accepted without fear, and understand that they are part of the lifeboat of Sri Lanka. Their dignity must be safeguarded.”
Colombo () – February 2023 marks the 200th anniversary since in 1823 the British colonial governments began to bring thousands of Tamil workers to the island of Sri Lanka to work as cheap labor on plantations. On this anniversary, the Catholic Church of Sri Lanka denounces the conditions of modern slavery in which, two centuries later, their descendants still find themselves, and asks the Colombo government for stable measures that guarantee them the dignity they deserve.
Cardinal Malcom Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, made this appeal at a conference that was organized at the headquarters of the national Caritas (Sedec), in Borella, together with the Bishop of Jaffna Justin Gnanapragasam, who is also president of the Justice Commission, peace and human development, and other Catholic bishops from the areas where the plantations are located. The prelates of Kurunegala, Kandy, Badulla, Galle and Ratnapura illustrated the serious problems that these populations still face in sectors such as education, health, livelihoods, housing, land rights and also the importance of cultural heritage. of plantation communities.
“200 years ago they were the first victims of a form of slavery that still continues for many jobs, with the face of neocolonialism – the Card commented. Ranjith-. They did not receive an adequate salary, were used as cooks and did not even have decent housing. White landowners taught their culture to the people of this country, and that’s why companies today continue to exploit them in the same way.” The Archbishop of Colombo added that their problems are not solved by providing them with houses, repairing roads or building toilets. “The rulers should fully understand the lifestyle of these people, who sacrifice their work and their lives for a meager salary. They should be accepted without fear, and understand that they are part of the lifeboat of Sri Lanka. Their dignity must be safeguarded.”
Speaking to the media about the conditions in the camps, all the bishops said that the farms have not created a context that allows the Tamil people to get out of the situation they are in. That is why they renewed the invitation to the current government to take immediate measures. “We ask the authorities to take concrete measures to allow them to live as Sri Lankan citizens, with the respect they deserve,” Bishop Harold Anthony Perera, Bishop of Kurunegala and president of the Sri Lankan Bishops’ Conference, told .
“A few years ago the government had established that the daily salary of plantation workers should be 1000 rupees, but it was only words and some workers even had their working hours reduced. This means that they continue to receive the same miserable sum as salary”, explained Msgr. Valence Mendis, bishop of the diocese of Chilaw. The prelate also stressed that, although most of the haciendas are under the control of private companies, the government must negotiate to protect the inhabitants of the haciendas. And regarding the plan for 40,000 homes that had been built for them, he recalled that in some towns they have not yet been delivered to the population.
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