Commemorations were held at the University of Jaffna and Nuwara Eliya last week, to honour the sacrifices of Malayaga Tamils who fought for the right of plantation workers on the island.
The day, marked as Upcountry Martyrs Day, commemorates the death of Mulloya Govindan. He was killed on 10 January, 1940, as protests at the Mulloya estate demanding a wage rise were brutally put down.

In Kotagala, political leaders, civil society activists and journalists joined the general public at a large remembrance ceremony on January 10th. They had gathered at the grave of Sivanu Letchumanan, who was shot dead by Sri Lankan police during a protest against plans to seize 7,000 acres of land in Devon estate.
Another commemorative event was held by Tamil students at the University of Jaffna on the same day.
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Students at the campus laid flowers and lit candles to commemorate those that fought for the rights of Malayaga Tamils and plantation workers.
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