Bold warnings from Sri Lanka’s indigenous leaders raise fresh questions about broken promises, forest rights, and whether international intervention is now unavoidable.
Even though Sri Lanka is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the government has failed to adequately protect those rights, Vedda leader Uruwarige Vannila Attho has warned. He says that if this situation continues, the Vedda community will be left with no choice but to inform the United Nations that their rights are not being upheld in Sri Lanka.
Vannila Attho recalled that when President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited his village on August 9 to mark the World Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the President assured him that legal amendments would be introduced to address the long standing issues faced by indigenous communities. He noted that the President has also reiterated this commitment in Parliament.
However, Vannila Attho said there has been no visible progress so far, with no draft amendments presented or tabled. This delay has raised serious doubts within the Vedda community about whether meaningful reform will take place.
“We discussed our problems with the previous governments, but none of them provided solutions. Initially, we had some faith in the current government, but now we doubt whether they will follow the same path as the previous governments. Our entire way of life cannot be separated from the forests. Our livelihood, culture, education and religious practices are all linked to the forest. The restrictions on access to forest areas are a threat to our identity,” Oahu said.
He pointed out that Sri Lanka has committed itself internationally by signing the United Nations Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Despite this, he said indigenous rights continue to be neglected at the national level.
“If the government continues to ignore our rights, we will have to inform the United Nations. Still, we have some faith in this government and we hope that they will act,” he added.
In late 2023, the Ministry of Justice, Prisons and Constitutional Reforms announced plans to introduce a new bill aimed at providing lasting solutions for the Vedda community, based on recommendations from a specially appointed committee. That proposal, however, has yet to materialise.
The Vedda people are believed to have inhabited Sri Lanka since before the sixth century BC. While many have been absorbed into mainstream society over time, community leaders continue to demand formal recognition, including national level representation in Parliament or the creation of a separate ministry for indigenous affairs.
Although Sri Lanka has a legal obligation to comply with Convention 169 of the International Labour Organization, there is currently no binding legal obligation to enforce the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
