Digital Democracy Training for Southern & Western Malaiyaha Youths. 27th – 28th February 2026.

 The Voice of the Plantation People Organization (VOPP) successfully conducted a two-day Digital Democracy Training Workshop for Malaiyaha youth from Galle, Matara, and Kalutara districts in Sri Lanka, with the generous support of Accountability Lab. A total of 18 young participants actively engaged in this important learning experience.

This initiative was designed in response to the limited representation and structural marginalization faced by Southern and Western Malaiyaha communities in democratic spaces. The program aimed to strengthen youth capacity for civic engagement through both democratic knowledge and digital tools.

Understanding Democracy in Practice

The training began with an interactive introduction to democracy. Participants reflected on the true meaning of democracy and took part in a simulation of elections and governance. This powerful exercise highlighted both the strengths and limitations of majority rule, especially the exclusion that minority communities can experience.

Exploring Digital Democracy

The sessions then focused on digital democracy and how technology can enhance participation, transparency, accountability, and representation. Participants learned about important democratic mechanisms such as the Right to Information (RTI) Act, election-related digital platforms, and online public service systems.

Responsible Digital Engagement

A key discussion explored the negative impacts of social media — including misinformation, hate speech, and digital violence — using real-life examples such as the Digana incident. This encouraged critical thinking and responsible, ethical online engagement.

Hands-on Digital Skills for Advocacy

Participants were trained to use digital tools including Canva, ChatGPT, DALL·E, CapCut, and other video editing platforms to create advocacy content. Through group activities, they produced short videos and songs reflecting the real situation of Malaiyaha estate communities — highlighting issues such as limited access to information, infrastructure gaps, and social inequalities.

Reflection, Presentation & Action Planning

The training concluded with group presentations, reflection discussions, and future action planning. Participants expressed increased confidence in using digital platforms for social change and civic participation.

Acknowledgements

The training was effectively facilitated by Mrs. Vibooshi Balakrishnan, who served as the knowledgeable resource person.

Anthony Jesudasan, Executive Director of VOPP, provided motivational support throughout the program.

Technical and logistical coordination was successfully managed by:

Lavina Hasanthi – Head of Program / Mithara Perera – Finance Officer / Anton Wanaththaiya – Field Manager /K. Yogsuji – Kalutara District Coordinator.

We sincerely thank Accountability Lab for supporting this initiative and for strengthening youth engagement in democratic processes.

VOPP remains committed to empowering Malaiyaha youth to actively participate in democratic spaces and use digital platforms responsibly to amplify their voices.

                              

Media Briefing on Land Issues Faced by Malaiyaha People in the Southern Province.

 The Voice of the Plantation People Organization held a special media briefing on 21 February 2026 regarding the land issues faced by the Malaiyaha people living in the Southern Province.

Community leaders representing the Malaiyaha people residing in plantation areas participated in the briefing. During the event, they presented five key demands to the Government. A memorandum containing these demands was also signed, to be submitted to His Excellency the President for discussion.

Key Demands:

Since there is a lack of accurate and updated information regarding Malaiyaha families who received 7-perch land allocations after 1993, immediate instructions should be issued to Divisional Secretariat offices to collect and update the relevant data.

A proper mechanism should be established to re-survey these lands and clearly demarcate their boundaries.

Legal deeds should be granted to the beneficiaries to ensure and confirm lawful ownership of their lands.

Families currently living in line rooms and those without any land ownership should be provided with at least 20 perches of land.

Lands already allocated should be separated from plantation management and officially recognized and declared as villages.

The Organization stated that it is prepared to submit these demands to the President and engage in direct discussions to seek sustainable solutions to the longstanding land issues faced by the Malaiyaha community.

Civil Collective for Malaiyaha Reconstruction – Ministry-Level Discussion

 Representatives of the Civil Collective for Malaiyaha Reconstruction held an important discussion with Hon. Minister Samantha Vidyarathna, Hon. Deputy Minister Sundaralingam Pradeep, and relevant government officials on the evening of 06 January 2026 at the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure, Battaramulla, Colombo. The meeting focused on issues related to the reconstruction of the Malaiyaha community following the Dittawa Cyclone.

The Voice of the Plantation People Organization (VOPP), one of the main member organizations of the Civil Collective for Malaiyaha Reconstruction, actively participated in this discussion. Mr. Anthony Jesudasan, Executive Director of VOPP, and Ms. Lavina Hasanthi, Program Director of VOPP, represented the organization at the meeting.

During the discussion, participants addressed legal and administrative procedures, current field-level conditions, challenges faced by disaster-affected communities, possible solutions, as well as the aspirations and public demands of the Malaiyaha people. The Ministers shared insights into the government’s future plans and policy decisions related to reconstruction, while also acknowledging the concerns raised by civil society representatives. They emphasized the need for continued dialogue and collaboration to overcome existing constraints and to ensure sustainable, people-centered solutions.

At the conclusion of the meeting, representatives of the Civil Collective for Malaiyaha Reconstruction formally handed over an Alternative Policy document outlining the people’s demands for Malaiyaha reconstruction (Alternative Policy – People’s Demands) to the Ministers. The meeting was recognized as a highly productive and constructive engagement, strengthening collaboration between civil society and the government for the long-term rehabilitation of the Malaiyaha community.

மலையக மீள் கட்டமைப்பிற்கான சிவில் சமூக கூட்டிணைவின் பிரதிநிதிகள், 2026 ஜனவரி 06 ஆம் திகதி மாலை, கொழும்பு  பத்தரமுல்லையில் அமைந்துள்ள பெருந்தோட்ட மற்றும் சமூக உட்கட்டமைப்பு அமைச்சில் கௌரவ  அமைச்சர் சமந்த வித்யாரத்ன, கௌரவ பிரதி அமைச்சர் சுந்தரலிங்கம் பிரதீபன் மற்றும் சம்பந்தப்பட்ட அரச அதிகாரிகளை சந்தித்து கலந்துரையாடினர்.

இந்த சந்திப்பின் போது, டிட்வா புயலால் பாதிக்கப்பட்ட மலையக சமூகத்தின் மீள் கட்டமைப்பு தொடர்பான சட்ட நடைமுறைகள், களத்தில்  காணப்படும் தற்போதைய நிலைமைகள், எதிர்கொள்ளப்படும் சவால்கள், சாத்தியமான தீர்வுகள், மக்களின் எதிர்பார்ப்புகள் மற்றும் பொதுமக்களின் கோரிக்கைகள் குறித்து விரிவாக கலந்துரையாடப்பட்டது. இதற்கு பதிலளித்த அமைச்சர்கள், அரசின் எதிர்கால திட்டங்கள் மற்றும் கொள்கைத் தீர்மானங்கள் குறித்து விளக்கமளித்தனர். அதேநேரம் மக்களின் பிரச்சினைகளுக்காக நிரந்தர தீர்வை நோக்கி அரசு முன்னெடுக்கின்ற செயற்பாடுகளில் ஏற்படும் குறைப்பாடுகளை முறைப்பாடு செய்யும்படி மற்றும் ஒத்துழைப்புக்களை நல்குமாறு கேட்டுக்கொண்ட அதேவேளை கலந்துரையாடலின்போது சிவில் கூட்டிணைவின் பிரதிநிதிகள் முன்வைத்த விடயங்கள் தொடர்பாக கவனத்தைச் செலுத்துவதாகவும் உறுதியளித்தனர். 

சந்திப்பின் முடிவில், மலையக மீள் கட்டமைப்பு தொடர்பாக மக்களின் கோரிக்கைகளை உள்ளடக்கிய மாற்றுக் கொள்கை முன்மொழிவு (Alternative Policy – People’s Demands) சிவில் சமூக கூட்டிணைவு பிரதிநிதிகள் மூலம் அமைச்சர்களிடம் கையளிக்கப்பட்டது. இந்த சந்திப்பு மிகவும் பயனுள்ளதும், சாலச்சிறந்ததுமான  அமைந்தது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது. 

பெருந்தோட்டத்துறை மக்கள் குரல் அமைப்பிலிருந்து நிறைவேற்று இயக்குனர் அன்டனி ஜேசுதாஸன், திட்ட இயக்குனர் லவீனா ஹஸந்தி ஆகியோர் கலந்துக்கொண்டனர். இந்த கூட்டிணைவில் பெருந்தோட்டத்துறை மக்கள் குரல் அமைப்பு ஒரு பிரதான அங்கத்துவ அமைப்பு என்பது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.

 ඩිට්ටවා සුළි කුණාටුවෙන් පසු මලයගා ජනතාවගේ නැවත ගොඩනැගීම සම්බන්ධ කරුණු පිළිබඳව සාකච්ඡා කිරීම සඳහා, කදුකර (මලෛයහ ) නැවත ගොඩනැගීම සඳහා වූ සිවිල් සමාජ සන්ධානයේ  නියෝජිතයින් 2026 ජනවාරි 06 වැනි දින සවස, කොළඹ – බත්තරමුල්ලේ පිහිටා ඇති වැවිලි සහ ප්‍රජා යටිතල පහසුකම් අමාතංශයෙදී  ගරු අමාත්‍ය සමන්ත විද්‍යාරත්න මහතා ,ගරු නියෝජ්‍ය අමාත්‍ය සුන්දරලිංගම් ප්‍රදීප් මහතා  සහ සම්බන්ධ රාජ්‍ය නිලධාරීන් හමුවූහ.

මෙම සාකච්ඡාවේදී, ඩිට්වා සුළි කුණාටුවෙන් පීඩාවට පත් මලෛයහ  ජනතාවගේ නැවත ගොඩනැගීම සම්බන්ධ නීතිමය ක්‍රියා පටිපාටි, ක්ෂේස්ත්‍රයේ පවතින වත්මන් තත්ත්වයන්, ජනතාව මුහුණ දෙන අභියෝග, ගත හැකි විසඳුම්, ජනතාවගේ අපේක්ෂා සහ මහජන ඉල්ලීම් පිළිබඳව සවිස්තරාත්මකව සාකච්ඡා කරන ලදී. මෙයට  ප්‍රතිචාර දැක්වූ  අමාත්‍යවරුන් රජයේ අනාගත සැලසුම් හා ප්‍රතිපත්තිමය තීරණ පිළිබඳව පැහැදිලි කිරීමක් සිදු කළහ. එසේම මෙම සාකච්ජාවතුල මතුවූ කරුණු පිලිබදව දැඩි අවධානය යොමු කරන බව සහ රජයේ ඇතිවන ගැටළු පෙන්වා දී ජනතාවගේ ගැටලුවලට තිරසාර විසදුම් ගැනීම සදහා සහය ලබා  ඉල්ලාසිටියි. 

සාකච්ඡාව අවසානයේ, මලෛයහ  නැවත ගොඩනැගීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් ජනතාවගේ ඉල්ලීම් අඩංගු විකල්ප ප්‍රතිපත්ති ලේඛනය (Alternative Policy – People’s Demands) සිවිල් සමාජ නියෝජිතයින් විසින් අමාත්‍යවරුන්ට භාර දෙන ලදී. මෙම හමුව ඉතාමත් සාර්ථක හා ඵලදායී සාකච්ඡාවක් ලෙස පැවතිණි.

මෙම සාකච්ජාව සදහා වතුකරයේ ජනතා හඬ සංවිධානයෙන් විධායක අධ්‍යක්ෂක ඇන්තනි ජේසුදාසන් සහ වැඩසටහන් අධ්‍යක්ෂිකා ලවීනා හසන්ති මහත්මිය සහභාගිවිය . එසේම මෙම සන්ධානයේ ප්‍රධාන සාමාජික සංවිධානයක් ලෙස වතුකරයේ ජනතා හඬ සංවිධානය ක්‍රියාත්මකවේ. 

Plantation daily wage hike: ‘Govt. footing bill sets bad precedent’

 11 Nov 2025 | BY Sumudu Chamara

• Want plantation co.-employers to pay wage hike from profits, not via 2026 Budget 
• Also query how Rs. 200 daily attendance incentive will be practically paid as most ordinary workers don’t work 25 days a month

While welcoming the Government’s decision to increase the daily wage of plantation sector workers, the sector’s trade unions (TUs) noted the manner in which it was implemented does not set a good example regarding labour wages.

In this regard, the Voice of Plantation People organisation’s Executive Director Anthony Jesudasan explained that the burden of increasing the sector’s workers should be borne by employers, or plantation sector companies, and not the Government through the country’s Budget.

He told The Daily Morning: “This does not set a good example. If (plantations) companies are getting the profit entirely, the Government should give the responsibility (regarding wage hikes) to those companies. Instead of doing that, the Government promising to give a Rs. 200 wage hike is not a good thing. The Government’s responsibility is to get the companies to agree.”

In addition, he raised concerns about the proposed plan, as the Government’s proposal includes a Rs. 200 payment as a daily attendance incentive. He explained that while those working for 25 days a month are to receive Rs. 10,000 a month, ordinary workers do not work 25 days a month but only around 18-20/22 days a month. He added that in this context, there is an unclear situation regarding how the said attendance incentive will be paid.

Regarding the Government’s claim that the wage hike from the current Rs. 1,350 to Rs. 1,550 will be borne by plantation companies, and that the Government will complement it with an attendance incentive of Rs. 200 to reach the proposed Rs. 1,750 per day, Jesudasan alleged that there is no official report of plantation companies agreeing to increase daily wages by Rs. 200. He opined that if there is no such official agreement, it would lead to issues.

Attempts to contact the Planters’ Association of Ceylon and the Plantation and Community Infrastructure Ministry yesterday (10) were not successful.

Meeting among Southern Province Catholic Mission, Deputy Minister and CSOs.

 A special discussion was held on October 31, 2025, in the evening between Vicar General of the Southern Province Catholic mission and the Director of Caritas SED Galle, the Deputy Minister of Plantation and Social Infrastructure, government officials, and civil society organizations regarding the issues faced by the Malaiyaha Tamil community in the Southern Province and the necessary actions to be taken.

During the discussion, special attention was drawn to the challenges faced by the Malaiyaha Tamil community living in the Galle and Matara districts, including issues in education (shortage of teachers and resources), vocational training opportunities for Malaiyaha youth, land and housing problems, as well as cultural and language challenges. The participants also emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts among the government, religious leaders, and civil society organizations to find sustainable solutions to these issues.

The meeting was attended by the Vicar General of the Southern Province Catholic mission and the Director of Caritas SED Galle Very Rev. Fr. Michael Rajendram, The Deputy Minister of Plantation and Social Infrastructure, Hon. Sundaralingam Pradeepan; the Minister’s Advisor, Mr. Marcus,  the Coordinating Secretary, Mr. Sivanesan, the Media Secretary, Mr. Ajithkumar, the Executive Director of the Voice of the Plantation People Organization, Mr. Anthony Jesudasan, the Coordinator of Caritas SED Galle -Mr. Manuel, the Program Director of the Voice of the Plantation People Organization-  Ms. Lavina Hasanthi; and Mr. Madan from the Galle District Secretariat, along with several other officials.