Sri Lanka President pledges better life and full rights for Malaiyagam community

Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake says the Government has accepted responsibility for ensuring a better life and full rights for the Malaiyagam community, while giving priority to housing, land rights, education, health and income opportunities.

The President made the remarks this morning (August 28) while attending a ceremony to hand over the “Navodayagama” housing project to 50 families in Kabaragala, Poonagala, who lost their homes in a landslide in 2023 and had lived in difficult and unsafe conditions for nearly three and a half years.

The project was built under the Government’s “A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life” policy to provide the affected families with safe homes, their own land and a dignified life.

Under the project, 50 fully completed houses, each measuring 550 square feet, were built on 10-perch plots of land. Each house has two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and bathroom, and cost about Rs. 3.2 million.

Each family was also provided with essential household items, including furniture and kitchen equipment, worth around Rs. 175,000.

During the ceremony, President Dissanayake symbolically handed over house keys and title deeds to 10 beneficiaries.

Freehold deeds were also presented under the President’s patronage to 163 beneficiaries living in houses built in the Haldummulla, Bandarawela and Haputale Divisional Secretariat areas of the Badulla District under the Indian Housing Programme involving 4,000 houses.

Speaking at the event, the President said the Malaiyagam community had contributed to building Sri Lanka’s economy for more than 200 years and should be treated as an integral part of the country.

He said that where members of the community originally came from or when they arrived was now a matter of history. What matters today, he said, is that they are born in Sri Lanka, contribute to the economy and eventually become part of this land.

However, he noted that even after more than two centuries, many members of the community still do not own a piece of land or a house.

The President identified five basic needs required for a decent life: a home, a source of income, education for children, good health and mental well-being.

He said meeting these basic needs for every community is both a challenge and a responsibility of the Government.

President Dissanayake said several housing projects are already being implemented and that housing construction will continue to receive priority in the upcoming Budget.

He also said the Government had secured a salary increase for the Malaiyagam community, but added that he did not consider the increase sufficient and viewed it only as an initial step.

Special attention is also being given to the education of children in the community, he said.

The President said it would be unfair for children to inherit the same way of life experienced by their parents and previous generations for centuries — being born on an estate, working on the estate and eventually dying there.

He said education is the main way for children to move beyond that cycle and pledged greater attention to improving their educational opportunities.

The President also stressed the need to improve health facilities for the community, pointing to high levels of low-birth-weight babies, malnutrition among children under five and lower life expectancy.

He said the Malaiyagam community had been marginalized and neglected for more than two centuries under successive administrations and assured them that the Government would treat them as its own brothers and sisters and work to ensure their full rights and a proper life in Sri Lanka.

Land ownership remains one of the main problems faced by the community, the President said, noting that plantation companies have been unwilling to provide land to workers.

He said existing agreements with plantation companies are due to expire by 2042 and that the relevant Ministry has already appointed a committee to review and investigate those agreements.

The Government expects to complete the review as soon as possible and include provisions to protect the rights of the Malaiyagam community when new agreements are reached with plantation companies, he said.

Turning to environmental protection, President Dissanayake described the Central Highlands as the “heart” of Sri Lanka and said protecting the region is essential for the country’s future and national security.

He said 103 rivers and streams flow from the Central Highlands and that a major part of Sri Lanka’s agriculture, environment and economy depends on the region.

According to the President, about 13% of Sri Lanka’s land area is part of the Central Highlands, while around 72% of the country’s annual rainfall falls in the region.

He said Sri Lanka is now facing the consequences of years of unplanned development, noting that more than 1,200 major landslides had reportedly occurred during recent adverse weather conditions.

The President said landslides were once uncommon in Sri Lanka, but the country is now seeing them in large numbers.

He warned that the Central Highlands are being destroyed and said activities causing further damage must be stopped immediately, even though restoring the region could take decades.

The Government has already begun preparing special legislation with the support of the Asian Development Bank to establish a Central Highlands Protection Authority.

Under the proposed system, the powers of institutions and departments responsible for environmental protection, forests, wildlife, irrigation and agriculture would be brought together under one authority.

President Dissanayake said the Government expects to present and pass the legislation in Parliament and establish the authority by the end of 2026 or early 2027.

He said protecting the Central Highlands would also require addressing the problems faced by communities living in the region while safeguarding biodiversity and natural resources.

The President said everyone would have to make certain sacrifices to protect the Central Highlands for future generations and described the task as a national responsibility.

He also thanked the Government of India for its longstanding support for the Malaiyagam community.

President Dissanayake further said the Cabinet had recently decided to remove barriers preventing people who left Sri Lanka during the war and are now living in India from returning to the country.

The Department of Immigration and Emigration has also taken steps to provide the necessary assistance for their return.

The President said these people are citizens of Sri Lanka and deserve the opportunity to live a good life in the country.

He said the Government’s aim is to provide the Malaiyagam community with a better life, create a better future for their children and build a better Sri Lanka, while seeking the community’s support in achieving those goals.

President Dissanayake also presented a commemorative gift to Army Commander Lieutenant General Nilantha Premaratne in appreciation of the contribution made by the Sri Lanka Army Engineer Services Corps to the Navodayagama housing project.

The Army assisted with the project from the initial land preparation and earth-cutting work through foundation laying and the completion of the houses.

Representatives of the beneficiary families also presented commemorative gifts to the President as a mark of appreciation.

Religious leaders, including members of the Maha Sangha, Ministers, Members of Parliament, government officials, Acting Indian High Commissioner Maitrey Kulkarni, foreign representatives and a large number of local residents attended the event.