Call for EU Action on Malaiyaha Tamils’ Rights

The Tamil Progressive Alliance, TPA, team held constructive discussions with the visiting European External Action Service (EEAS) delegation, led by Director for Asia and the Pacific Paola Pampaloni, at the EU Delegation in Colombo, hosted by Ambassador Carmen Moreno.

During the meeting, the team urged the EU to establish structured support and principled intervention for the Malaiyaha Tamil community—highlighting the need for land rights, equitable disaster recovery, inclusive development, and dignity within the GSP+ compliance framework.

They emphasized the Sri Lankan Government’s ongoing silence despite repeated calls for dialogue.

The exclusion of Ditwaha‑displaced Malaiyaha families from the LKR 5M/unit national housing scheme under Disaster Management—while redirecting them to the Indian LKR 2.7 million/unit project—was characterized as segregation and systemic apartheid.

The delegation outlined some key demands:

• Immediate inclusion of all Ditwaha‑displaced Malaiyaha families in the LKR 5M/unit national housing program.

• Recognition that the Indian housing initiative does not replace the Sri Lankan State’s obligations to its own citizens.

• A commitment to avoid multi‑storied flats for estate communities, given their cultural land ties and safety concerns.

They reiterated their support for Sri Lanka’s GSP+ concessions, while stressing that market access must be contingent on enforceable guarantees of dignified citizenship — particularly land rights for Malaiyaha Tamils — and the elimination of entrenched discrimination, exploitative labor practices in supply chains, and apartheid‑like conditions faced by plantation residents.