Moratorium on eviction of plantation residents by estate management’s

Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) Leader Mano Ganesan MP has sent an urgent letter to President AKD demanding an immediate Moratorium on the eviction of plantation residents by the estate management.

In a letter to the President, available to the media, TPA Leader states under the title of “Modern Slavery intentions expressed by the Manager of Sunderland Estate, Eheliyagoda managed by Pussellawa Plantations Ltd”;

Mrs. S. Gandhi Mathi and Mr. M. Thava Kumar, both residents of the line-room habitats, have received letters from the Estate Manager. The identical content of both letters is virtually an advance notice of evacuation.

Mr. President, I am confident that you would agree to the stance that all the residents of plantations are lawful citizens of the country. They have been living in such lineroom habitats for generations over 200 years. Where can they go, if these most marginalized and already vulnerable people are asked to vacate these dwellings called line-rooms?

The new plantation company masters who have taken up their jobs from the British white masters, now under the long lease agreements with the government of SriLanka do not own the land. The land belongs to the state, that’s the people of SriLanka, including the plantation residents.

Under the circumstances, the worker, non-worker and estate management relationships in SriLankan plantations should be looked in a more humane manner and fair perspective. We as people’s representatives and Party leaders have very often discussed this issue while we were together in the opposition. Hence, your excellency, I don’t think you need any further convincing explanations.

I appeal to you to order an immediate Moratorium on all and any evictions of members of the planation resident community from the estates they have lived on for generations, over 200 years. Let this Freeze in effective until the change of system comes into to the plantations.

If unchecked, these modern slavery intentions will lead to barbaric attacks on the poor plantation community. We have seen, intervened, protested at such acts now and then. We are prepared to extend cooperation to your government with our proposals and engage with all state holders to bring the system change in the lives of residents and the plantation industry.