As a part of the ongoing official visit to Sri Lanka marking 75 years of diplomatic ties between the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka, Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, together with Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, visited resettlement communities in Muhamalai, Kilinochchi today.

According to a United Nations (UNSL) statement, during her visit, the Royal Delegation was briefed on ongoing efforts by authorities and development partners in the Northern and Eastern Provinces with a particular focus on interventions supported by the UN Sri Lanka SDG Multi-Partner Trust Fund, notably the Expanded Support for Durable Resettlement and Reintegration in Sri Lanka which is jointly implemented on the ground by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Sri Lanka. The Fund, established in mid-July 2020, has to date supported around 30 programmes with 15 participating UN agencies, thanks to contributions from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Despite these efforts, the scope of the challenge remains substantial. While the successful return of 22,500 individuals has been facilitated through the support of the Fund, a further 7,500 returnees are currently being supported for a sustainable return, with around 1,000 acres of land released from High Security Zones. Recognizing the scale of these challenges, the Government of Sri Lanka has also allocated Rs. 2 billion for resettlement in the annual budget for 2024.

Over the years, resettled families have been supported with improved living conditions through livelihood support and economic infrastructure facilities, while ensuring greater food security and nutrition during the ongoing socio-economic crisis through the introduction of home gardening and climate-smart farming practices. Working together with local government, 1100 local officials have been capacitated to support durable resettlement and social integration of returnee populations, with 3,600 returnees already assisted with civil documents to facilitate access to rights and services, including humanitarian assistance.

The Princess Royal and official delegation visited a housing site with resettled families, who had the opportunity to share their experiences, the support received, and the ongoing challenges that remain within their communities.

The visit also highlighted challenges and opportunities that remain to be addressed including clearing of high-security zones and de-mining of fields, facilitation of sustainable return of IDPs and refugee returnees, and re-awakening of basic infrastructure and socio-economic facilities to support livelihoods. It also underscored the continued need for collaborative efforts that align the resettlement process with common goals around peacebuilding and sustainable development in the North and East of Sri Lanka. (NewsWire)

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Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, the Princess Royal of the United Kingdom, has conveyed a special message from Britain’s King Charles III to Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

According to The Royal Family, King Charles conveyed his best wishes to President Ranil Wickremesinghe in a special message delivered by The Princess Royal, who is currently on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka.

“I would like to extend my very best wishes to Your Excellency and the people of Sri Lanka as we celebrate the seventy-fifth anniversary of bilateral relations between our two countries, as marked by the visit of my dear sister, The Princess Royal,” The King said in the message, according to The Royal Family. 

The message was conveyed during a meeting between Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, her Spouse, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, and President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the President’s House in Colombo yesterday (Jan 10). 

According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), the delegation, including Princess Anne, was warmly welcomed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry.

The visiting royals engaged in friendly conversation with President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Professor Maithree Wickramasinghe. Princess Anne marked the occasion by signing the special guest commemorative book at the President’s House.

Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, State Minister of Health Sita Arambepola, President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake, and Chief of Defence Staff General Shavendra Silva were also present at the event. (NewsWire)

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The Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) hopes to raise the matter of the marginalization of the Hill Country Tamils in Sri Lanka with the visiting Royal Highness Princess Anne, the sister of Britain’s King Charles III.

Speaking to NewsWire, TPA Leader MP Mano Ganesan said the matter will be raised through the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Andrew Patrick.

MP Ganesan, who is currently in India to raise awareness on the matter with the Tamil Nadu Government, said he will be missing the visit of Princess Anne, due to which the matter has been raised with the British High Commissioner to be conveyed to the visiting Princess.

He further said that steps will also be taken to obtain the signatures of all nine (09) Tamil MPs in Parliament for a Memorandum on the matter, which will also be handed over to the British Government. 

Emphasizing that they do not intend to lay blame on any nation for the marginalization of the Hill Country Tamils in Sri Lanka, MP Ganesan said these attempts are being taken to create awareness of the plight of the community, which is directly linked to the past decisions of the British and Indian governments.

Upon the arrival of Princess Anne in Sri Lanka to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Britain, MP Mano Ganesan released the following statement on the matter related to the marginalization of the Hill Country Tamils in Sri Lanka.

The full statement of TPA Leader MP Mano Ganesan:

We demand Princess Anne accept historical responsibility towards the most marginalized group of people in Sri Lanka, the Tamil plantation residents who register lower measures on education, health, land, housing rights, employment indices and almost all human development indices compared to every other community in Sri Lanka. 

Princes Anne is here in Sri Lanka to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the UK. I find no better time to raise this issue. Marginalization of our community is the dark segment of this 75-year history.  We don’t want to submit a list of blame. But, I submit a reminder of the dark history to Princess Anne. 

The Malaiyaha Tamil community as they are ethnically called, were brought to Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, from India since 1823 by the companies under the British Crown. They were controversially deprived of citizenship immediately after independence in 1948, though plantation workers provided the second-highest foreign reserve in Asia, to the treasury of Ceylon. This ungrateful activity happened over-riding the protection for minorities found in article 29(2) of the then British-given constitution. Thereafter many were subjected to involuntary repatriation to India in 1964. All these occurred while Ceylon was very much under dominion status headed by the British Crown. 

Our worker people are tied to and dependent on their plantation employers and are not full-fledged citizens of Sri Lanka even today after the British left us high and dry in the hands of the local brown Raj that replaced the British white Raj. Her Majesty’s government failed to do what French rulers did to the people of Pondicherry in India.  

As the leader of the largest elected political entity of the Malaiyaha Tamil community, the TPA, I request the British to support our people, the most underprivileged and marginalized Sri Lankans with affirmative action to catch up lost ground towards becoming full-fledged citizens of SriLanka. (NewsWire)

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Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, the sister of Britain’s King Charles III, has arrived in Sri Lanka on an official state visit. 

British Princess Anne visits MAS Holdings as the first stop on her Official Visit to Sri Lanka 

The Princess Royal of the United Kingdom, accompanied by her spouse Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, will be in Sri Lanka from today until January 13, 2024.

Princess Anne is in Sri Lanka to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. (NewsWire)

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Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, the sister of Britain’s King Charles III, will visit Sri Lanka from 10 -13 January 2024.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry said the Princess Royal of the United Kingdom will be accompanied by her spouse Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence during the visit.

The Ministry added that Princess Anne has been invited by the Government of Sri Lanka to participate in events connected with the 75th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. (NewsWire)

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