In February 1823, the British rulers brought thousands of South Indian laborers to Sri Lanka as cheap labor. The complaint of The Voice of Plantation People: “Two centuries later, in the Galle and Matara districts their condition has not changed: they continue to live without land rights and without a home of their own.”
Colombo (Asia News) – 2023 marks 200 years since the plantation population or “malayagam” began to contribute heavily to the Sri Lankan economy. However, they continue to be deprived of fundamental rights and face numerous social, economic, cultural and political problems. This was denounced by the organization Voice of Plantation People, which delivered a petition to the President of Sri Lanka on the occasion of this bicentennial.
At a press conference in Colombo, the association’s director, Anthony Jesudasan, recalled that, according to historical records, these Tamils were brought to the island from southern India by the British colonial governments in February 1823 as the hand of cheap labor in the plantation industry. Since then they have been contributing significantly to the economic development of Sri Lanka for 200 years: “It is debatable that these Tamil workers, who with their work contributed to the economy of this country, cannot access the rights enjoyed by other citizens living in the same country, as they still have to live under the control of the plantation authority. They are deprived of administrative rights and continue to live without a home or land of their own. Yet over 200 years they contributed greatly to the national income Sri Lankan Gross”.
The problem mostly affects Malayagams living in the southern districts of Galle and Matara. “After the 2003 catastrophe,” adds Anton Vanathaiah, secretary of the Voice of Plantation People, “the victims were allotted a plot of land, but even though almost 20 years had passed, they weren’t even given a piece of paper prove their right to that land. There is no document, not even in the relevant government offices.”
“There are five Tamil schools in Matara district, but they are located in areas that are very difficult to access: parents do not pay the cost of reaching them. Therefore, they have to send them to the nearest Sinhalese school and they have to study Buddhism. instead of Hinduism. There is a lack of teachers for subjects like math and English, so the higher education of Tamil plantation children has so far been greatly compromised.”
Meanwhile, the New Delhi authorities are pressing for measures in favor of plantation workers, the majority of whom are Tamils of Indian origin. Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has convened a new all-party meeting in the framework of negotiations launched last month with the Tamil National Alliance. The Head of State expressed the ambitious objective of reaching an agreement before February 4, the date on which Sri Lanka’s 75th anniversary of independence is celebrated.
