Desamaanya Dr Sudath Guanasekara

This includes

Physical heritage reparation.

This proposal also includes   a programme of physical heritage reparation. Among other things it includes mainly three items; they are,

a)            Forest

The restoration and rehabilitation of the destructions done to the forest, land and water resources of the central hill country, as a top national priority as it forms the foundation of the entire life system and the civilization of this Island nation. It is estimated that over 600 000 acres of prime forest had been removed for coffee and tea plantations

b)            Land

 It Is estimated that 1.3 million acres of land owned by the native people, Buddhist temples and Devalas had been illegally taken over by force by the colonial government under draconian legislations like Land Encroachment Ord No 12 of 1840, Temple Land Ordinance 1853 and Wasteland Ord 1897.

 c)Rivers

In the process 103 perennial rivers, watering the lowlands around the hill country were made to dry up due to deforestation of the main watersheds in the central hills. Deforestation also led to heavy soil erosion and loss of bio diversity due to land degradation, landslides (in the hill Country) and other calamities like recurrent downstream floods and river siltation causing heavy losses to people and property in the lowlands.

Therefore, protecting the central watersheds above 3500 ft MSL is the most fundamental and crucial factor not only for future development but also in deciding the fate of the entire life system and the future civilization in this country.

In view of this despicable backdrop of failed governance with regard the Kandyan areas for 75 years as stated above, I seek the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers to this historic proposal to do justice by a great people who had sacrificed everything they had under the sun, including their own dear lives, to defend the motherland against the enemy over a period of 443 years, for us and the generations unborn.

As for me, as the son of late Philip Gunawardhana, honestly I deem it my bounden duty and unavoidable responsibility too, though already too belated, to rectify the historical injustices inflicted upon these great Kandyan people, at the first opportunity I got in my life, as the Prime minister of a government of the people, by the people and for the people, to fulfil a nations’ noble duty by them at least now.

Therefore, Cabinet approval is sought for the creation of the 

1) Kandyan Areas Rehabilitation, Development and Protection Ministry under the Prime Minister as stated under the KPC Report of 1951.

2) The Kandyan Areas Rehabilitation, Development and Protection Authority of Sri Lanka to be in charge of the implementation of the objectives mentioned in Annex 1V and all matters incidental to those objectives

3. To transfer the present Sri Lanka Hadabima Adhikaariya and the Kandudarata Urumaya Surakiime saha Savibala Ganviimei Adhikaariya with all their assets to the Kandyan Areas Rehabilitation, Development and Protection Ministry

4) to enlist the services of an expert on employment and income generation as given under item 3 above in order to make this national mission a full success.

5)To implement all the functions listed in Annexes 11, 1V and V

Dinesh Chandra Rupasinghe Gunawardena.

Prime minister of the Republic of the Democratic Socialist Republic Sri Lanka

Date………..

Annex 11

The next area of rehabilitation and reparation is heritage destruction. Usually, who write on heritage include only the cultural side. But to me it means two things, that is both cultural and physical as they are always interlinked, inter related and inter dependent. Therefore, in any programme of heritage rehabilitation and development it is important to take both these aspects in to consideration, if the desired results of rehabilitation and development are to be achieved.  This is specially so in the context of our country. (Pl: see annex 11 for details)

Usually, literature on heritage of any nation implies only the cultural side like language, religion, arts and crafts, architectural and religious monuments like buildings, statues, temple and dagabas and paintings and frescoers songs and literature, food and drinks, dresses, customs, rituals and traditions indigenous technology, administrative and legal system, the economic system. their dress and habits, human attitudes like patriotism and bravery and other nuances of human behavior.

But they don’t include the physical or natural assets like the nature of the land and its physiography, soil, its rivers and other water bodies like irrigation tanks and canals, biodiversity in fauna and flora the development and conservation of which sometimes become even more important for the survival of life and man’s survival on earth than the protection of some of the cultural heritages.  In this case the best example in our context is the central hill country of Sri Lanka. Geographically it is like a human heart both in its formation and function.  It is located almost right at the center of the Island, sloping down towards the coastal plain right round. All the rivers in the country starts there and flow down in all direction watering the rest of the country providing the water needed to sustain life in the country. If these rivers stop flowing one day, the curtain will fall on the entire life system in this country. Continuous river flow depends primarily on the physical stability of the central hill country. The stability of the hill country mainly depends on its forest cover. The physical stability of the central hill country determines and dictate the survival of the entire life system in this country. To this extent the central hill country plays the role of a heart of the living being” that is Sri Lanka.  Therefore, just like the man dies when the heart stops the Being” Lanka also, will die, the day the physical stability of the central hill country is gone. Therefore, the crucial need to protect the physical stability of the Central hill country at all cost. This lesson has t be taught to each child from his kindergarten days and every man and woman in this country should add here to this concept as a religion.

This was done during the days of the Sinhala Kings by banning all settlements and clearings on land above 3500 ft above sea level. The only exceptions were Kotmale, Welimanda and Mandaram Nuwara. All forests above that level were declared Thahanchi kele strictly prohibited forest even to enter, by Royal decree. Therefore, if you want to stop the extinction of entire life system in the whole Island leading to disappearance of civilization as well, we have to take the following steps very early.

1)Declaring all forests and lands above 5000 ft msl in the Island as strictly protected and conserved forest

2) Limit large scale tea cultivation to land above 3500 ft above sea level. They should be managed by large scale Boards either State or private, but all settlements should be banned within it confining to tea factories and offices only.

3)All settlements in the hill country should be confined to land below 3500 ft

4) land between 1000 ft and 3500 ft should be used for settlement of small holder farm families on 2 ½ acre farm lots of mixed farms. It is suggested that the landless Kandyan villagers and the displaced estate Tamils of this country who are citizens presently occupying on land between 3500-5000 to be settled on these lands as mixed village expansion settlements. That will put an end to mono Tamil settlements in the central hill country and will end Indianization of the heartland of this Island and expected to divorce all connections with India and get fully integrated to the native society just as it happened in the past. This settlement will also provide the labour required for the tea plantations between 3500-5000 ft.

This arrangement will guarantee the much-needed physical stability of the central hill country that will in turn guarantee the survival of the   entire life system in the whole Island.

(However, the Nuwara Eliya Town may be exempted from this rule. But all other hill country towns like Hatton, Talavakele and Bogawanthalawa etc should be necessarily relocated in suitable places within the 1000-3500 belt. Those who refuse to adjust to this new situation and wants to remain Indian has no alternative but to get back to India or ask UK to provide lands for them to settle down to continue as British citizens as they had been so before 1948.  Because you cannot allow two nations, one Sinhalese and another Indian’ to operate right at the center of their land of the Sinhala nation

Once this arrangement is complete then again, the paradise on earth in Sri Lanka often eulogized by many a western traveler in the medieval times will definitely reappear again on this land.

Annex 111

Although a Commission called the Kandyan Peasantry Commission was appointed in 1949 by the then Government to look in to the problems of Kandyan people on representations made by people like A. Ratnayaka, the MP for Dumbara and the Minister of Home Affairs at the time, its objectives were limited To inquire in to the socio-economic conditions of the Kandyan people and make recommendation to ameliorate them” only.

Although this Commission had done an excellent job by producing a comprehensive Report on the socio-economic conditions of these people at the time, I think The Kandyan Peasantry Commission” also has missed the wood for the trees. The Commission has failed   to look at the problems of the victims and their territory in a broader perspective of some vital areas like,

a) rectifying the historical injustices done to the natives by the invaders, by illicitly taking over their land by force under draconian land grabbing laws.

b) murdering thousands of freedom fighters, by killing some of them, savagely, violating all accepted civilized norms, executing some of them even without proper trials and banishing some of the national leaders like Ahelepola to distant countries beyond the seas to places like, Mauritius and leaving them to die as prisoners of war and criminals in unknown lands, for the noble act of defending their motherland against the invaders.

c)It also had not made any reference to the illegal, immoral and unethical Royal proclamation No 21 of Nov 1818 made by Brownrigg and the crimes committed under its cover, which unilaterally abrogated the Kandyan Convention of March 2 even before its ink was dry and the repressive military rule carried out by the invader thereafter, as pre0arranged.

 d)There is also no reference to continuing their governance under exploitation, repression and oppression, undemocratically under their Royal Proclamations ever since 1818 almost up to 1948, denying all civilized and accepted principles of natural justice to the citizens of the Kandyan Kingdom.

e) There is also no mention about the untold destruction and devastations and loss done to this country, its rich natural and physical resources, social and economic assets, age old customs and traditions and above all to Buddhism the fountain of our culture, by them.

f) There is also no reference anywhere for the need to restore what was destroyed by colonial vandalism and the need to claim compensation and to demand an apology from the oppressors for the wrongs they had done and left.

g) But the Commission supported the continuation of their tea plantations all over the hill country as a foreign exchange earner without realizing the irreparable damage it has already done and continuous to do, for the physical stability of the central highlands without realizing the environmental damage its doe to his Island nation.

h) no mention about the 12.5 million Indian labour gang that was already pausing a major demographic, political, economic and social problem to the country even by that time, not to mention perceiving future problems. I do not know as to how the KPC was planning to solve landlessness among Kandyan peasants (which they had identifies as a major problem among them) when 12.5 million Indians were occupying their ancestral land, illegally taken over by the British by force.

i) a) There is also no reference to the crying needs to restore the physical stability of the central hill country that was there in the days of the Sinhala Kings, that was functioning as the virtual heart of the body Sri Lanka.

What is even worse is The KPC Report which made extensive recommendations to ameliorate the socio-economic conditions of the Kandyan peasants was also never implemented as recommended and left justice denied to them up to date.

Annex 1V

The objecives of the Kandyan Areas Rehabilitation, Development and Protection Authority of Sri Lanka (Udarata Punaruththaana, Sanvardhana   saha Surakiime Adhikaariya).

(The Kandyan Areas Rehabilitation, Development and Protection Authority of Sri Lanka)

1 Completion of Rehabilitation of land and people by implementing the projects identified in the KPC Report to uplift the social and economic standards of people living within the Central, Uva and the Sabaragamuwa provinces and the Div. Sec Divisions අර කියපු වගා කරන යාලුවාට මේ දෙන්ඩ Contact information  of the other provinces as decided by the Board through other government line departments relevant to the subjects.

2.Implementing an aggressive and sustainable rural economic and social development through agricultural, small industrial and tourist development programme geared to employment and income generation in liaison with government departments and private organizations and individuals.

2 Implementing a Settlement Development programme in the mid country (1000—3500) by the Authority on 2 ½ acre small holder diversified farm lots. Under this scheme it is envisaged to settle 250,000 families in the 3 provinces within 5 years

3 Funding development projects initiated by other government departments. Here each line dept is expected to identify their own projects and submit them for funds. We provide funds   after project evaluation and monitor implementation to guarantee successful completion of the said projects in time.

4.Implementing other development project identified by public agencies or individuals   within the project area through the subject departments and monitoring their successful completion in time.

5) Taking action to restore the lost Physical Stability of the Central Hill Country (The Geographical Heartland- HADABIMA) of Sri Lanka on which depends the survival of the entire life system and the civilization of this country.

6) Initiating action to rectify the historical injustices done by the British to the Kandyan Sinhalese from 1815-1948 and more particularly in the 1818 and 1848 Freedom Struggles.

7)Taking action to implement a comprehensive development plan to solve the problems of landlessness, unemployment, underemployment, acute poverty and other socio- economic problems of the people living in these areas.

8) Taking action to attend to their social and infrastructure needs like roads, domestic water needs, irrigation, health, education, cultural needs marketing and administration

9) 14) Taking action to put an end to ethnic discrimination and create a socio-culturally and politically homogeneous, integrated and inward-looking Sri Lankan society in the central Sri Lanka.

10.Initiating action to demand reparation and compensation from the British Government for the destruction and devastation done to millions of acres of our land, forest, water resources and from the British government.

11 Initiating a global movement to seek compensation for centuries of land theft, genocide and cultural imperialism, large scale violation of human rights by Britain for native Sinhalese as well as Indian estate labour during the period 1797-1948.

12) Taking action to claim compensation for a) displaced native Sinhalese, their land taken over by force under draconian land grabbing laws such as the Encroachment upon Crown Land Ordinance No 12 of 1840. Temple Lands Ordinance of 1853 and Waste Land Ord of 1897 and loss of life b) compensation for the Indian indentured labour who had been subjected to exploitation from 1830s to 1948 and ill- treatment by low wages and despicable living conditions as British citizens and leaving them behind as a destitute and a stateless lot and C) the catastrophic political and economic problems willfully left behind by the British for the government of Sri Lanka.

13) Taking action to seek redress and compensation from the British Government for the native Kandyan Sinhalese as well as the laborers of Indian origin for violation of their human rights by the British colonial Government from 1815-1948.

14) Taking action to seek compensation for the destruction done by the colonial rulers to the forest, rivers, water, land and biodiversity and the havoc done to downstream areas by flood due to largescale deforestation on the highlands.

15. Taking action to return the land confiscated by the British to their original owners

The Project area covers 1/3 the area of th3 Island also 1/3 the population of the country.

That also means 1/3 the voters of the country So obviously the government that implement this programe will firstly, go down in history as the only Government that has addressed the problems of the forgotten Kandyan people and that did justice by them at last. As such the people of this area will decide as to who should govern the country in future.

Annex V

Head Office of the Ministry and the Adhikaariya Office

It is proposed that the Head office of this Ministry and the Authority should be located in Kandy being the central place of the mandated area considering the ease of delivery of services to people from an operational angle and easy access to the people on the other hand.

Staff of the Ministry and the Authority

The Secretary of the Ministry who will have authority over all activities of the Ministry and the Authority will also function as the Director General who will coordinate the work of the 3 Divisions of the Authority stated below.

Staff of the Ministry and the Authority will be kept at a bare minimum at the beginning

Board of Directors

It will be headed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of KRDP who shall be an officer of Cabinet Secretary rank (SLAS)

The Ministry and the Secretariat will function from Kandy once the Cabinet paper is approved

Implementation of this programme (other than the settlement Development Programe vide item 2 above) in all three provinces will be carried out through the district administration and other government departments where the GAA/District Secs, Divisional Secs and Graama Sevaa Niladharis will act as the coordinating officers of the activities of the Authority in their respective divisions.  The services of field officers of the line ministries and departments at field level will be coordinated by the Divisional Sec and Grama Seva Niladharries

(All legislative enactments Statutes enacted exclusively for the estate Tamil community of Indian origin only stands repealed.  Ministries and all statutory organization including the Ministry for Hill Country Village and Infrastructure Development (with a ten-year special development Project with UNDP funds obtained as loans exclusively to develop the Tamil settlements on the hills), and the Upcountry new Village Development Authority   etc should be abolished. All funds allocated to these institutions will be transferred to the New KARDA. This enactment will operate as the sole legal Authority that deals with settlement of people living in the Kandyan provinces in future. The funds lying in banks and all assets belonging to them will also be transferred to the Fund of the KRDP Authority immediately

Special Advisory Committee

Prof Gerald Peiris (Emeritus-Geography)

Prof C.M Madduma bandaara

Mr.  Senaka Weraratna

Dr. Garvin Karunaratna and any other as decided by the Minister in charge of the Ministry.