Jeevan laments even after 200 years estate Tamils have to fight for due recognition

By Sirimantha Rathnasekera

Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) leader and Minister of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development, Jeevan Thondaman yesterday said that the plantation Tamil community still had to fight for due recognition even after 200 years of blood, sweat, toil and tears to nurture and serve this nation.

Speaking at a ceremony held at the Lakdiya Medura in Pelawatte, the Minister said that at the commemoration of 200 years of service to the nation by his community of people a programme under the theme NAAM200 (We are 200) had been organised and it would be used as a forum for their struggle to win recognition and rights.

“We do not demand equality. What we demand is equity and recognition. Surely, this country would not have been able to have free health care or free education if not for the foreign exchange brought to the country by the labour of the plantation workers. At the introduction of free education, health care and welfare programmes, this country had no other means of foreign exchange such as migrant workers, apparel products or tourism industry as at today but only the income generated from the plantation products. Yet, a significant segment of the Sri Lankan population does not consider the estate worker community as part of this country,” the minister said.

NAAM200 campaign comprises an insurance scheme, stamp launch, souvenir coin, historical exhibition, art, photo, essay and film making competitions, cultural show, upcountry dialogue, awareness run, declaration of a national history week and main event attended by the President, Prime Minister and cabinet ministers.

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, addressing the ceremony that saw the launch of NAAM200 official logo, said that the history of 200 years of upcountry Tamils was a story of struggle for rights. “Starting from the Bracegirdle incident up to today, this journey of struggle had been led by many political leaders including the grandfather and father of Minister Thondaman. I hope that this NAAM200 campaign will be able to add a new chapter in that struggle,” the prime minister said.