Tea industry furious over murder of Estate Manager at work
Wednesday, 10 July 2013 01:27
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Planters’ Association and exporters lobby condemn brutal act; call for justice against killers
A furious tea industry is up in arms over the brutal murder of a senior planter in Deraniyagala and two leading organisations are urging the Government to take action against the killers.
The Planters’ Association of Ceylon (PA) in a statement yesterday condemned in the strongest possible terms the horrific attack and murder of the Manager of Nooriya Estate, Deraniyagala, Nihal Perera. Veteran planter Perera has served the industry for around 45 years, having managed several estates across all planting districts in Sri Lanka. “Particularly saddening was that the tragic incident took place while the victim was at work, doing his field rounds and routine supervision. The PA has been informed that the attack was by an unknown group of assailants from the area and none of the perpetrators of this crime have yet been apprehended,” PA said.
Secretary General of the Planters’ Association Malin Goonetileke was vehement in his condemnation. “The Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) are tasked with managing and safeguarding government property and if as custodians of such state assets our managers are being attacked, how could we expect them to perform their duties as expected?” he queried.
“Regrettably, even though previous incidents of interference, intimidation and thuggery on Nooriya Estate by outside elements had been brought to the notice of the law enforcement authority, no meaningful action was taken by the Police to resolve the situation.”
A similar incident on an estate in the Lindula district where the Estate Manager was intimidated and damage caused to his bungalow and vehicle, injury to his person was averted due to a police presence currently on the estate.
The Planters’ Association notes with alarm the recent trend of escalating violence directed against estate management who are vested with the responsibility of safeguarding government owned property, leased out to plantation companies.
Apart from the main crops of tea and rubber, assets include forestry, timber reservations, water sheds, stream reservations and land. RPCs are incurring substantial expenditure on legal fees and management time in unnecessary litigation, in preventing illegal encroachment of land, illicit felling of timber, illicit gemming and similar illegal activities on the land that has to be handed back to the Government, once the leases expire.
The plantation community is disheartened at the lethargy of the Police in recent times whereas even during the worst period of conflict in the country, the estate managers carried out their duties in an exemplary manner in maintaining discipline and good governance on the estates without being a burden to the law enforcement authorities.
The Planters’ Association urges the authorities to take immediate measures to apprehend the perpetrators and let the law take its course thereby regaining the confidence of the plantation sector which continues to be a mainstay of the economy and provides a livelihood for almost 10% of Sri Lanka’s population.
“Our managers need to be reassured that they have the fullest cooperation and support from the law enforcement authorities in the performance of their duties,” Goonetileke emphasised.
Separately the Tea Exporters Association (TEA) yesterday in a statement condemned the brutal murder of a senior planter and called for justice against the killers. Following is the full text of the TEA statement:
It is with sadness and disgust that the Tea Exporters Association (TEA) of Sri Lanka learnt of the brutal murder of the Senior Planter Nihal Perera at the hands of thugs backed by a ruling party politician.
At a time when the tea industry comprising of plantations and exports are making a valiant effort to increase productivity and export volumes, acts of this nature will only demoralise the plantation managers in carrying out their official functions on the estates.
It is disturbing to note that the death of Nihal Perera had a direct link to political thuggery in the Deraniyagala area coming under the jurisdiction of the Chief Minister and the Government administrative apparatus.
It is a well known fact that the Deraniyagala area is gripped with terror unleashed by political thugs. The untimely murder of Perera in the most tragic circumstances was unfortunately the result of his commitment to stand up for what was right and challenge the illegal activities imposed upon the estate he managed.
As a main stakeholder of the tea industry, we the TEA, stand in solidarity with the Planter’s Association of Sri Lanka and condemn this dastardly act and demand that justice be meted out by conducting an impartial investigation with immediate effect and arrest those culpable, to whom clear and unquestionable evidence points.
In this hour of grief, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Perera who died in the line of duty without subjugating to political thuggery and violence. We admire his courage, commitment and invaluable contribution made towards developing the industry.
