Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya met the leader of Sri Lanka’s indigenous Vedda community, Uru Warige Wannila Aththo, at Parliament to discuss long-standing concerns over ancestral land access, gaps in Cyclone Ditwah relief delivery and shortcomings at Dambana School, the Prime Minister’s Media Division said.

The meeting was held on Friday (12) and covered the difficulties faced by the indigenous community, Ada Derana reported. Uru Warige Wannila Aththo drew the Prime Minister’s attention to the obstacles facing Vedda families in accessing and using their traditional ancestral lands. The Prime Minister responded that the indigenous community has the right to access and use those lands without obstruction, and stated that the necessary legal measures to safeguard these rights would be expedited.

The Vedda leader also raised concerns over the absence of relief assistance for residents of Hennanigala, an indigenous-settlement village in the Eastern Province affected by Cyclone Ditwah but, according to the leader, left out of the relief flow. The Prime Minister immediately instructed the relevant officials to ensure those families receive proper relief assistance without delay, the PMD said. The intervention echoes the targeted post-cyclone bridging Cabinet has tried to apply through programmes such as the IOM-funded cash assistance for 4,000 Ditwah-affected families across seven districts.

The discussion also addressed the shortcomings and needs of Dambana School, the principal educational institution serving the Vedda community at the Dambana settlement in Mahiyanganaya. The Prime Minister said the matter would be examined and necessary measures taken.

The meeting comes weeks after the death in May of Rathugala indigenous leader Suda Wannila Aththo, and signals a continuing engagement track between the government and the Vedda community on the same cluster of land-rights, welfare-delivery and education concerns that have long defined the relationship.

Source: PM Harini meets Vedda chief to address indigenous community concerns — Ada Derana, June 13.