The party is said to have received information that on some estates, undue pressure is brought to undergo sterilization operations and the consequences are not properly explained to the workers, most of whom are illiterate. The Plantation Welfare Trust, which is responsible for improving health standards of plantation workers, denies any wrongdoing, and insists that family planning will improve workers’ lives.
Textile factory employee and Mawinne Estate resident T Jeyasudha, 22, was abducted in Ratnapura on 22 November. Her body was later found in a pit. She had been stabbed many times. A man has been arrested, but police believe that several people were involved in rape and murder. People say the police have not carried out proper investigations on other rape cases in the Hill Country.