The People’s Struggle Alliance (PSA) on Monday urged the JVP-led NPP government to make its stance clear on the longstanding grievances of Northern communities and upcountry estate workers.
Addressing a press conference in Nugegoda, PSA’s Youth for Change Convener Lahiru Weerasekera accused the current administration of exploiting the struggles of these marginalized communities, just as its predecessors had done.
Weerasekera questioned the government’s position on land disputes in the Northern Province and Hill Country, criticizing its failure to address these pressing issues.
“Under the pretext of war, past governments seized lands from the people of the North to establish military camps. Entire villages were evicted, yet these lands have still not been returned,” he said.
He alleged that lands traditionally used for agriculture, fisheries, and industries in the North had been forcibly taken and were now being controlled through military and religious influence.
“Does the government not see this as a problem? Some of these lands have archaeological significance, yet even the Department of Archaeology is unable to reclaim them due to interference from extremist religious groups and the military.”
Weerasekera condemned what he called a systematic land grab, asserting that the Tamil people of the North would not be victimized by such policies.
“The government must clearly state its position and return legally owned lands to their rightful owners.”
Turning to the Hill Country Tamil community, Weerasekera pointed out that estate workers, whose ancestors were brought to Sri Lanka as indentured labourers, have lived in the country for over 200 years without land ownership rights.
“For generations, both the government and private businesses have profited immensely from their sweat and sacrifice, yet their fundamental issues remain ignored. It took decades of struggle just for them to gain Sri Lankan citizenship. Now, even state-owned plantation lands are being privatized, further jeopardizing their future.”
Weerasekera denounced the government’s proposal to relocate estate workers to high-rise apartments, questioning whether any plantation worker had ever requested such a move.
“JVP-NPP MPs, Ministers, and even the President have repeatedly vowed to resolve land, wage, education, and healthcare issues faced by these communities. Now is the time to act. The government must allocate resources and take responsibility for addressing these concerns,” he said.
