Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) Leader and MP Mano Ganesan has urged the United Kingdom to acknowledge and act on what he described as its historic and moral responsibility toward Indian-origin Malaiyaha Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Ganesan made these remarks following a meeting with British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Andrew Patrick, at Westminster House, where he outlined the historical and continuing injustices faced by the descendants of Indian Tamil indentured labourers brought from South India during the British colonial plantation era.
He said Malaiyaha Tamils continue to experience structural exclusion, particularly in the government’s post-Ditwaha housing and land allocation programmes. According to Ganesan, plantation communities in Kandy, Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Matale and Kegalle districts remain excluded from the national Rs. 5 million reconstruction housing scheme and are instead being redirected to the Indian-assisted housing programme.
“Are we Indian citizens? Are we to be treated as second-class Sri Lankan citizens? This amounts to a form of structural segregation reminiscent of apartheid-style injustice,” Ganesan said.
He warned that the government appears to be promoting multi-storey housing projects in the hill country while continuing to deny land ownership to plantation communities, a move the TPA strongly opposes.
“We will not accept any programme that denies land rights to our people. Land rights have been denied to the Indian-origin Malaiyaha community for over two centuries. Justice demands secure land, dignity and equality, not temporary solutions,” he said.
Ganesan also expressed disappointment over what he described as a lack of engagement from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, noting that a request for a meeting to discuss urgent issues affecting Malaiyaha Tamils has yet to receive a response.
Calling on Britain to take a leadership role, Ganesan urged the UK to mobilise international partners and development agencies to ensure that Up-Country Tamils are fully integrated into Sri Lanka’s national mainstream and no longer treated as second-class citizens.
The meeting was also attended by Barath Arullsamy, Vice President for International Affairs of the Democratic People’s Front and a TPA politburo member, who reiterated calls for equitable land rights, inclusive recovery and long-term integration of the Malaiyaha community.
Ganesan also briefed the British High Commissioner on unresolved political and human rights concerns affecting Tamil communities in the Northern and Eastern provinces. While acknowledging the President’s visits to the North, he said several key commitments remain unfulfilled, including the holding of Provincial Council elections, repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, release of remaining long-term political prisoners, meaningful land releases and progress toward a new constitution.
He urged the United Kingdom to lead international partners in supporting a just and durable political solution that addresses the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil people and promotes equality, dignity and democratic governance in Sri Lanka.