A group of Vedda, indigenous people on the island of Sri Lanka, have protested outside the residence of the Trincomalee governor, the BBC Sinhala service reports.
The group, hailing from a remote village in the district, claimed their ancestral land was being appropriated by a Buddhist monk, with government officials in the district ignoring their plight.
“Uppuveli Hamuduruvo (the monk) grabbed an agricultural tank earlier and we kept quiet but now he is going to go for another one. This can not be allowed” said P.M. Appuhamy, the president of the village’s farmers association.
The Tamil-speaking Vedda in the east of the island, also known as Coast Vedda, are thought to be descended from Tamils and Vedda from the interior of the island.
See report on Sandeshaya here.