On 19th September 2025, representatives of the Voice of the Plantation People Organization met with the Malaiyaha community of Askaweli Estate, located in the Palindanuwara Divisional Secretariat Division of Kalutara District. Although our team arrived at 6.30 p.m., later than planned due to an earlier visit to another estate, the community members patiently waited for our arrival. Around 60 people participated in this discussion.
The Malaiyaha community of Askaweli has been living on this estate for more than 100 years, spanning across five generations. At present, 216 families—comprising over 1,000 individuals—live in about 10 line rooms, where two or three families are often forced to share a single room.
Out of these families, 28 were allocated 7 perches of land each on 17th November 1993 to build their homes. However, to this day, they have not received any legal ownership documents for their land. While a few families have managed to repair their line rooms, the majority still live under very poor conditions in old and deteriorating housing.
The main crops cultivated in the estate are rubber and coconut palm. Currently, workers receive only about Rs. 1,350 as a daily wage, which is insufficient to sustain their lives. As a result, less than 50 people remain employed on the estate, while many others have been compelled to seek work outside.
Today, the community’s most pressing concerns are:
No land for who living in the line rooms.
The struggle of living in old and very dangerous line rooms.
The absence of legal documentation for the 28 families who received land earlier.
Therefore, it is essential that the government pays urgent attention to these issues. The Voice of the Plantation People Organization in solidarity with the community, listening closely to their grievances and take some actions.
