Do not support Government strategy to deny land rights of plantation Tamils, says Mano Ganesan

13-Aug-2026

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The Government has been merely talking about the land rights of Indian-origin hill-country Tamils and delaying the matter, Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) leader Mano Ganesan has said.

He alleged that the Government is now planning to introduce a new body called the “Central Highlands Conservation Authority”, using terms such as “climate, landslides and water catchment” to strategically deny land rights to the hill-country Tamil community living in plantation areas and relocate them to other locations by constructing high-rise housing.

He said this was a continuation of the old Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) policy, while speaking to a delegation headed by Shanene Cawelin, Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Sri Lanka.

The meeting was held at the ADB Sri Lanka office in Colombo on August 11. Along with Mano Ganesan, TPA political group members Professor Vijayachandran, Attorney-at-Law Bharath Arulsamy and Engineer Prajeevan participated in the meeting. The ADB delegation included Director Shanene Cawelin, Acting Country Director Solphon Mambedova and other senior officials.

According to a media statement issued following the meeting:

“Compared with other communities in Sri Lanka, the hill-country people remain a disadvantaged section. There are historical reasons for this. The final group of our people received citizenship only in 2003. Therefore, we started from a delayed point, and development was consequently delayed. Today, if our citizenship is to be made complete, our right to land must also be ensured. Without land ownership, our citizenship will not be complete. Once that is secured, other rights will gradually follow.

“The present Government is putting forward a new proposal to establish a ‘Central Highlands Conservation Authority’ through legislation. It says the authority is being created to address issues concerning the climate, landslides and water catchment areas of the hill country, and that the ADB will support this initiative.

“There is no disagreement whatsoever that the water resources, forests, biodiversity and ecosystems of the hill country must be protected. However, the right of people to their homes and land must not be taken away in the name of environmental protection. That is the key question we must raise today.

“The Government has also failed to recognise the mistaken assumption that hill-country people traditionally live only in certain plantation districts. In reality, hill-country people live across more than 12 districts. In addition to Nuwara Eliya, Kandy and Badulla, they also live in low-country districts such as Ratnapura, Kegalle, Matale, Moneragala, Colombo, Avissawella, Kalutara, Galle, Matara and Kurunegala.

“The ruling JVP has traditionally rejected, on ideological grounds, the demand of hill-country people for land rights and has instead promoted the idea of reforestation of plantation lands. We have serious concerns as to whether this is the background to the present proposal.

“Certain mountain peaks and environmentally sensitive areas in Nuwara Eliya, Kandy and Badulla districts may need to be identified as highland areas and protected. However, treating the entire plantation sector as protected land could result in denying the legitimate land rights of the hill-country people.

“As a result of our interventions, the Government of India has agreed to provide financial assistance for housing in plantation areas. The funds are ready. However, land has not been allocated. The fundamental reason for plantation companies not releasing land is the absence of a clear Government policy on the land rights of the hill-country people.

“We urge the Government to immediately allocate plots of land for housing to hill-country families living in low-country plantations. We also request the Government to provide housing land in safe locations close to main roads, excluding mountain-top areas in Nuwara Eliya, Kandy and Badulla districts.

“We also reject the Government’s plans to construct high-rise housing in the mountains and relocate our people there in the name of providing safe settlements. The Asian Development Bank must not support any effort that disregards the land and residential rights of a minority community. It must not allow its goodwill assistance to be misused.

“To clarify this matter, I will once again meet the UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka along with our team. I will also meet other international representatives.”

The ADB delegation, headed by Country Director Shanene Cawelin, thanked the Tamil Progressive Alliance for bringing these important matters to its attention and for making its representations.

The delegation assured that the ADB would never support any action that denied the land or cultural rights of minority communities and that these matters would be given priority consideration in projects undertaken by the institution in collaboration with the Government.