Uru Warige Wannila Eththo, the chief of the Vedda People met with President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday (June 05th) at Kandy House, to invite him to the National Indigenous Day to be held in Sallativ, Vakare, to mark the World Indigenous People’s Day celebrations.

The Vedda chief mentioned that all indigenous communities scattered around the country will be involved in this year’s Indigenous Day celebrations.

He also requested the President to take measures to authenticate the identity of the indigenous people dwelling in Wakare, Jaffna, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and many other areas.

Called coastal Veddas, these communities were in the clutches of the LTTE terrorism in the recent years. People of these communities were also forcibly enlisted for terrorist activities, Wannila Eththo further said. He also requested the President to take necessary steps to preserve the unique cultural identity of the coastal indigenous people and to ensure that they are not manipulated by outside forces.

On this occasion, the problems faced by the indigenous people were brought to the President’s special attention. The Government has allocated a sum of Rs. 500 million for the welfare of the indigenous people in Sri Lanka, the President said.

The President also inquired the relevant officials about the progress of the welfare activities for the indigenous people, and gave instructions to fulfill their needs within 3 months.