At the request of and the Voice of the Plantation People Organization (VOPP) and IPEN a special discussion was held between the Commissioners of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) and the Malaiyaha (Plantation) community of the Kalutara District on 7th February 2026 at the Matugama Divisional Secretariat.
The main objective of the discussion was to examine the key human rights issues faced by the Malaiyaha community in the Kalutara District, including land and housing issues, education-related challenges, and other human rights concerns, as well as to explore possible actions that could be taken by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka to address these issues.
The discussion was organized by the Voice of the Plantation People Organization (VOPP) with the full support of IPEN.
The special discussion was attended by the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka and former Election Commissioner, Attorney-at-Law Nimal Punchihewa, Human Rights Commissioner Professor Thanaraj, Director of International Affairs Mr. M. Kabilan, Legal Officer Ms. Fathima Farha, and officers Mr. Yasir and Ms. Niroshini Dissanayake.
The discussion was facilitated by the Executive Director of VOPP, Mr. Anthony Jesudasan, the Executive Director of IPEN, Mr. Jeevarathnam Sureshkumar, and Human Rights Officer Mr. Yasir.
The Programme Director of VOPP, Ms. Lavina Hasanthi, Kalutara District Coordinator Mr. K. Yogasuji, and IPEN District Coordinator Mr. Anthony shared their views and provided support for organizational activities.
During the discussion, Human Rights Commissioner Professor Thanaraj shared his views on international human rights mechanisms, the history of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, and his experiences related to the Malaiyaha community.
Chairperson Attorney-at-Law Nimal Punchihewa explained the functioning of the Commission and the possible actions that could be taken to address the issues faced by the Malaiyaha community. He further stated that relevant government institutions would be invited for discussions on the issues raised and that efforts would be made to conduct mobile services at least once every two months to look into the grievances of the community.
One of the most significant moments of the discussion was when Malaiyaha community members from various parts of the Kalutara District emotionally shared the difficulties they face.
They highlighted the problems arising from the failure to provide legally acceptable documents or deeds for the 7-perch land plots allocated to them at different times after 1994, the hardships faced by families living in unsafe line houses without adequate protection, the challenges faced by children and youth due to the lack of educational facilities and teachers, the issues faced by women, and other violations of fundamental rights.
