Sri Lanka's indigenous people clash with wildlife officials for the rights of jungle life

Sri Lanka's indigenous Veddah community chief Uruwarige Wanniaya asks who belongs the wilds if his jungle community is dispossessed of it.

Veddahs accuse that the wildlife officials shot and killed one of their members and three more have disappeared following the shootout.

A tense situation erupted on March 15 as a 24 year old indigenous man was shot and killed near the wildlife office of Hennanigala, a village of the indigenous people.

The man named Thalawarige Sunila was killed in the shooting that took place in the midnight of March 14, the indigenous community say.

150 strong police force was deployed to normalize the tension and discussions were held between police and Veddah community chief Uruwarige Wanniyaleththo.

Veddah is an indigenous hunting community that lived in jungle before modernization. The government has resettled them in villages and expect them to give up their age old life linked to the jungle.

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