Bill in parliament calls for a day to honour upcountry militants killed in action

A long-standing demand for dedicating a day to honour the sacrifice of Martyrs who lost their life fighting for the rights of the Plantation workers has gained momentum now.

A private member bill has been placed in parliament in this regard to bring recognition for those who spoke and died to ensure the rights of the hundreds of thousands of upcountry people toiling in the tea and rubber estates for more than two centuries.

Kandy district parliamentarian Velu Kumar in his private member bill has demanded on July 12, an “Upcountry Martyr’s Day’ to commemorate the killing of people like Mulloya Govindan. He was shot dead by police sergeant Suraweera while protesting seeking wage hikes for the plantation workers.

“Our upcountry community is involved in various protests to voice against the oppression of our people by the plantation owners and demanding wage rise for the plantation workers. We identify people who lost their lives in such protests for the future of our generations as Upcountry Martyrs. In 1939 protests started at the Mulloya estate demanding a wage rise. That protest continued till January 1940. On the 10th of January that year violence was unleashed in that estate against the plantation workers. The death of Mulloya Govindan on that day marks the beginning of Martyr’s who sacrificed their lives for the plantation community. Now, in this house, I place a bill to declare the 10th January- the day Mulloya Govindan lost his life- as the Upcountry Martyr’s Day throughout the country”.

In response to the private members' bill Education Minister Susil Premajayana said there is no issue in declaring such an observance day adding the bill has been forwarded to the Labour Ministry for due action.

“We will inform the Labour Ministry and propose to the Ministry. The Labour Minister will take due action”.
A resolution was passed on the 15th of December 2019 at a memorial event in Devon estate, Talawakelle, to observe 10th January as the Upcountry Martyr’s Day coinciding with the death anniversary of Mulloya Govindan who sacrificed his life demanding a wage hike for the plantation workers. That day would be marked as a day of respect and sacrifice recalling the contribution of all those who lost their lives for the welfare of the plantation workers, said the resolution.

Malayaga Urimai Kural (Voice for Upcountry rights) and Pidithalarathe (loosely meaning strong grip) had organized the event

Since 2020, the 10th of January has been observed as the Upcountry Martyr’s Day due to the efforts of these two organizations. While the 2020 event was held in Maskeliya, the next year it happened in the Pathanai Junction. In 2022 the commemoration happened in Kotagala and Commercial Lake of Kotagala this year (2024). Due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, the event did not take place in 2022.