Minister of Estate Infrastructure Development – Jeevan Thondaman has issued a clarification on a viral video that shows him threatening an official at an estate in Matale District.

The incident had occurred when the minister had visited the Ratwatte Estate in the Elkaduwa Plantation in the Matale District to inquire about the mistreatment of an impoverished family by the estate assistant manager, by forcibly tearing down their house.

“As Minister, I demanded action from the Chairman and General Manager of the Estate against this behavior. Immediate steps were taken, and the Assistant Manager has been removed and dismissed.“The Chairman, General Manager, and the responsible Assistant Manager also personally apologized to the affected family. Moreover, the Estate has committed to constructing a permanent home for them within its premises. But this is just the beginning,” he had said.

The matter was also Tweeted by MP Mano Ganesan, who had taken up the matter with Minister of Plantations Ramesh Pathirana, calling for the assistant manager to be sacked.