Sri Lankan authorities have agreed to accept the hill-country Tamil community as a separate nationality with a unique identity of their own. This decision comes 200 years after their arrival in Sri Lanka.
A march was launched a year ago demanding that members of this community be recognised as free and equal citizens of Sri Lanka. Organisers of the march say that the authorities have responded positively to two out of over ten key demands.
Maanbumigu Malaiyaha Civil Society Collective’s Convenor Anthony Jesudasan says that the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) Director General has agreed to entertain a request regarding affirming the identity of the Malaiyaha Tamils.
“We had put forward 11 demands during the Maanbumigu Malaiyaha march. We can say that two of those demands have been met. We requested that the Malaiyaha community be recognised as a nationality and be identified everywhere as Malaiyaha people. It has been successful. We further requested that this community be referred to as Malaiyaha Tamils during the census. Accordingly, this community can be identified as Indian Tamils or alternatively as Malaiyaha Tamils.”
Last year (2023), a two-week march was held from Talaimannar to Matale demanding that the community be recognised as free and equal citizens of Sri Lanka, and its one-year anniversary, which fell on 28 July, 2024, was commemorated at a monument located at the north western town of Urmanai in Talaimannar with the participation of various parties including school children. Joining the event, Jesudasan highlighted the significance of a court ruling to provide postal addresses to the Malaiyaha Tamils.
“The court decision with regard to providing Malaiyaha people with postal addresses is noteworthy. Progressive discussions are taking place in the Parliament and in the general society about the land rights issues faced by the hill-country people.”
A letter, dated 15 February, 2024, and signed by 338 persons and 60 organisations, has been submitted to the DCS Director General in this regard. They had pointed out through the letter that the President’s official statements, government appointments, and Cabinet decisions indicate that the identity of this community has been recognised.
“In such a context, we, the undersigned, endorse the request that this community be recognised as ‘Malaiyaha Tamil’ in Section p8 during the next census, with the aim of securing a special identity for this community in Sri Lanka,“ the letter submitted to the DCS Director General read.
Jesudasan explained that the DCS Director General agreed to identify this community as Indian Tamil or alternatively as Malaiyaha Tamil during the preparation of official documents for this year.
A postal address
On 4 December, 2023, the Attorney General had informed the Supreme Court that steps had been taken to provide postal addresses for estate sector communities residing in the Muwan Kanda estate in Mawathagama.
Representing the Attorney General, Deputy Solicitor General Kanishka De Silva had made this statement when a fundamental rights petition regarding postal addresses was taken up. The petition, filed by Jeewaratnam Suresh Kumar, a resident of the Muwan Kanda estate, requested the court to issue an order to the government to provide postal addresses for estate sector communities.
The petition was heard by a three-member judge bench comprising Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, and Justices A.H.M.D. Nawas and Arjuna Obesekara.
Attorney Lakshan Dias represented the petitioner. Presenting facts before the court, he stated that the petitioner’s intention was to obtain postal addresses for estate sector communities across the country. He had further acknowledged that this process may take a considerable amount of time.
A two-week march
Presenting 11 demands to the government, Malaiyaha Tamil people held the official launch of the march on 28 July, 2023, in Talaimannar. The march began on 29 July, 2023, from Talaimannar, and concluded on 12 August, 2023, upon reaching Matale after a 300-kilometre journey.
Since they had chosen the same path as their forefathers, who came from India’s Dhanushkodi 200 years ago and travelled from Talaimannar to Matale on foot braving multiple difficulties, the organisers of the march had named it ‘Trace Our Roots to Win Our Rights’.
The march also aimed to raise awareness among Sinhala, Sri Lankan Tamil, Muslim and other communities about the history, struggles, victories, contribution, present socio-economic and political conditions, and aspirations of the Malaiyaha Tamils.
The march from Talaimannar to Matale and other related programmes had been organised by the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka, a collective of civil society organisations, and the Maanbumigu Malaiyaha Makkal Collective which comprises persons belonging to and/or working with the Malaiyaha community.
Sri Lanka’s largest mass graves were found in the Mannar and Matale districts.
What were the demands?
Below are the demands put forward by the Malaiyaha Tamil community in order to ensure their meaningful citizenship:
1. Recognition for their history, struggles, and contribution.
2. Recognition as a community in independent Sri Lanka that is equal to other main communities and with a separate identity.
3. Progressive measures with regard to education, health, and social security in order to reach an equal or average status at the national level.
4. Sufficient wages to make ends meet, decent jobs, legal protection, and equal wages for male and female workers.
5. Land with proper ownership for residential and livelihood purposes.
6. Equal use of the Tamil language and equal recognition for the same.
7. Equal access to public services.
8. Demarcation of estate sector settlements as new villages.
9. Safety for domestic workers.
10. Preservation and promotion of the Malaiyaha culture.
11. An electoral system and the devolution of power which ensures meaningful administrative roles, equality, and proper integration at all levels of the governing process.
