Malaiyaha Ditwah victims urge action

• Write to President listing 15 demands 

The Civil Society Collective for Malaiyaha Reconstruction has signed a letter containing a 15-point set of demands to be submitted to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake next week. In the letter, the Collective is calling for immediate measures to assist Tamil families in the Hill Country still impacted by Cyclone Ditwah.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (19), the Collective’s Convenor Selvaraja Rajasegara said that victims from the community and activists met yesterday to sign the letter addressed to the President. "Everyone who took part in the discussion signed the letter and after further discussions, we will be handing over the letter to the President next week," he said.

The community group has voiced frustration over the Government's response to Ditwah, stating that hundreds of families remain in temporary shelters, unsafe homes, and dilapidated estate buildings, months after the disaster. The group says that progress on resettlement and land allocation has been minimal, leaving victims without adequate relief or compensation.

The group has issued a list of key demands, including financial aid of up to Rs. 5 million for destroyed homes, equal treatment in relief distribution, and formal land ownership documents. They are also calling for transitional shelters that meet humanitarian standards, and the redevelopment of estate settlements into sustainable villages with proper infrastructure. Additionally, they are urging the Government to take full responsibility for repairing and reconstructing estate community infrastructure damaged by Ditwah. 

Following Ditwah, the families of the Malaiyaha community are reported to remain in unsafe shelters months later, with many excluded from compensation due to a lack of land deeds. Despite long-standing complaints of the activists from the community, these systemic issues remain unaddressed to date. 

Source - The Morning