By Dr. I. Arul Aram
(Dr. I. Arul Aram, Ph.D., is Chief Sub-Editor with 'The Hindu', India's one of the most credible and standard English newspaper. He is a visiting faculty at the University of Madras and the Indira Gandhi National Open University, writer/creator of nuremous books/media, and moderates a vibrant e-group the Indian Online Media Forum. He was a participant in the Summer Peacebuilding Institute in Eastern Mennonite University, U.S., in 2004. He is associated with the World Citizenship Institute, Knoxville, as a faculty in its online programme on peacebuilding).
In this article he shares his experience/observations from his visit of Sri Lanka at the invitation of the Sri Lanka Press Association from May 18 to 25, 2002. This article is presented here in the hope that it will give some perspective in Nepali context where so many are displaced by Maoist movement. This article is published with Dr. Aram's permission. -Ed.)
Recently I visited Sri Lanka at the invitation of the Sri Lanka Press Association. I took the opportunity to travel the country extensively particularly its war-torn areas to understand the peace process under way between the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The LTTE has been fighting a war in the last two decades against the Sri Lankan Government to protect the Tamils from the Singhalese oppression. The guerrilla organisation believes that the 3.5 million Tamils can only prosper independently of the Singhalese, who comprise 14.5 million of the country's 19 million people. My visit to Tamil-dominant areas such as Trincomalle, Vavuniya, Mannar, Kilinochchi and Jaffna revealed that the peace process under way could bear fruits only if the focus is on resettlement and rehabilitation of the displaced Tamils. Although the Sri Lankan Government talks much about resettlement, not much has been done on the ground. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) help rehabilitate people in the resettled areas but they do not come forward to help in the process of resettlement.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the total number of persons affected by displacement in the country is up to 8,00,000. UNHCR's operations in Sri Lanka focus on this internally-displaced persons (IDPs). A good number of them are accommodated in welfare camps.
UNCHR provides displaced persons with relief items such as plastic sheeting, shelter material, domestic items and sanitary items. There are also 1,10,000 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees and asylum seekers in India (Tamil Nadu), of which 66,000 are accommodated in 235 refugee camps. Most refugees and IDPs are Hindu Tamils, though thousands of Muslims (whose mother tongue too is Tamil) and some Buddhist Singhalese have also been displaced.
Despite the current peace process, the situation is still too fragile for any large-scale repatriation of refugees. The UN is not yet prepared to promote the return to Sri Lanka of up to 110,000 Sri Lankan Tamils now in India. Even within Sri Lanka, though there are a few initiatives by the Government to give relocation alternatives for IDPs other than in government welfare centres, it is likely that a significant number of persons will have to remain at the centres before these initiatives are implemented. An estimated 1.3 million Sri Lankans are currently displaced within and outside the country. Of this, an estimated 800,000 people are displaced internally, while another 500,000 are living as refugees in India, Europe, Canada, Australia and the United States.
For those remaining in Sri Lanka as displaced persons, life cannot get any worse. The 348 government-run welfare centres currently provide shelter and daily rations to 176,000 persons – 24 per cent of the total displaced population. More than 500,000 displaced people have opted to live with their extended families or friends. Not surprising that the majority opt to live outside the welfare centres. The overcrowded facilities, communal living and poor sanitation have bred disease and made life in many a welfare centre miserable. Temporary shelters are formed in schools, churches, community halls, paddy marketing stores and bus depots as well. The resettlement of displaced people is also being carried out in an ad hoc manner, with people from various villages being settled as one community in a new village. Extended families are separated, as most often household heads draw lots to decide on where they are resettled.
M. Kandaswamy, camp officer, Allasgarden welfare camp for IDPs in Trincomalle, says refugees face several problems returning to their homes. (i) the military might have occupied their houses; (ii) the area might have been declared a security zone; (iii) forest growth in the residential areas need to be cleared, as no one had lived there for 10 to 20 years; (iv) cattle and vegetation which formed the basis of livelihood had to be raised from the scratch; (v) civic amenities such as roads, wells, schools, ration shop, provisions shops, market, etc., have to be in place; (vi) at times, Singhalese would have colonised with the help of the military even the areas vacated by Tamils or might have moved into the nearby areas posing a threat; (vii) several houses have been destroyed in mortar shelling by the military or razed to ground by the military using bulldozers and (viii) above all, landmines have to be cleared.
Let us consider Pankulam, 20 km from Trincomalee. It is a fertile area falling under a river basin. The demographic map has changed in the past 20 years. With the help of the military, extensive Singhalese colonisation has taken place. Travel to this Tamil area is through Singhalese-dominant areas, which presents a threat to the safety of Tamils. The Tamils of Pankulam have been in refugee camps in India between 1990 and 1995. But even after returning to Sri Lanka with a fond hope of resettlement, they could not move into their homes because of Singhalese colonies that have cropped up around their place and high vegetation growth.
In fact, before 1953, Singhalese hardly owned property in Trincomalee and its surroundings. The population ratio among various ethnic groups has altered over time in Trincomalee itself. In Trincomalee, now Tamils constitute 40 per cent and Singhalese 30 per cent of its 3.5 lakh population. Fish trade in the town is now controlled by Singhalese. Fish catch by Tamils have to be necessarily routed through Singhalese. So Tamils do not get enough profit from their produce.
In several places, state security apparatus had been used to settle Singhalese in Tamils-dominant areas. This colonisation had been done in vacant lands, or in places vacated by Tamils during ethnic conflict, or by chasing away Tamils. Such a colonisation is even followed by changing the names of towns/villages. Of course, a few Singhalese who have traditionally lived in Tamil areas too were affected and displaced during the ethnic conflict, whom the LTTE is now prepared to welcome back.
Talking about resettlement, P. Nithiyanandam, a Deputy Government Representative (equivalent to Deputy Collector), stationed in an LTTE-controlled division, says about 3,500 people have resettled under his division. The people have built thatched huts. Help from the Government is minimal. The Government dole for a family of four is Rs. 1,060 a month (Sri Lankan rupees) to buy dry ration. But even this amount have to be cut short to Rs. 630 as the total number of resettlers outnumber the figure agreed upon by the Government. (Rs. 1,000 Sri Lankan rupees is roughly equivalent to Rs. 500 Indian rupees.)
People do not wish to live as refugees. Now they totally depend on the daily handouts of dry ration and the occasional bag of foodstuff from NGOs. If the atmosphere were conducive, they would like to return to their villages and lead a life of dignity. Sri Lanka – known as an emerald island because of its dense vegetation – offers much scope for livelihood in terms of agriculture and animal husbandry. Fishing too is a major occupation in the north and east (traditional Tamil homeland) as it has one-third of the country's coastline. Travel restrictions in the north and east prevented many displaced persons from reaching work sites to earn a living, attend schools, or seek urgent medical care.
Terms agreed upon in the peace agreement have not been followed in toto. The military's continuing refusal to implement conditions of the indefinite truce is posing a major hurdle for peace. Still the military has not vacated from schools, temples and public buildings in the Government-controlled Tamil areas such as Trincomalee and Jaffna. Ninety days have passed by in the last week of May after the signing of the peace agreement on February 23, 2002 with Scandinavians as mediators. The ceasefire violations include the military firing at fishermen in Batticaloa in which two fishermen died, and the military destroying fishing nets in Mullaitivu. But with the ceasefire completing 90 days without a return to conflict, it is hoped that the remaining hurdles standing in the way of peace talks to arrive at a permanent settlement would be sorted out soon. On completion of the 90 days of truce, the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM) – led by Scandinavian monitors – said in a report that ceasefire violations had not jeopardised the agreement.
The removal of military camps from the educational institutions within 60 days, and the removal of fishing ban within 90 days as per the terms of the agreement have not taken place. Educational institutions in Tamil areas recently went on a strike protesting against the continued military occupation of schools and colleges which hamper studies. Checkpoints in residential areas are yet to go. Fulfillment of these is not only needed to induce faith among the people but also to enable easy rehabilitation. For instance, if checkpoints continue to be there in residential areas and schools are not functioning, people would not be too willing to move into such areas. The Government should come forward for effective implementation of the provisions of the peace deal.
A. Vaidhyanathan, member of the SLMM of the Jaffna region, says the fact that ceasefire has held for more than three months means that both the Government and the LTTE are keen on peace. Ceasefire would definitely continue for a long time, but permanent peace would take some time. The Government is under pressure from Singhalese organisations and opposition politicians. On the other hand, Singhalese, Tamils as well as Muslims look forward to permanent peace.
The A1 highway leading to the northern regions consisting of Jaffna, Chavakachcheri, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu has been reopened after the peace agreement. Now travel to the northern regions including Jaffna via road is relatively easy unlike in the conflict days when one has to take circuitous sea or land routes. Of course, the highway is in a battered condition at several places but the repair work is on. Through checking of passengers while crossing the LTTE-controlled areas is likely to continue both at the military and the LTTE checkposts till a permanent peace is arrived at. The northern areas still do not have electricity supply except by local generators at certain pockets. The rail link between Vavuniya and Jaffna is no more existent. The LTTE has removed the rails at times of economic embargo against it, to build bunkers and to serve as beams in the buildings destroyed in the military operations. Although the Government-controlled Jaffna is linked with Colombo by air, only a few could afford air travel.
The Kilinochchi Hindu Higher Secondary School which too has suffered heavily in mortar shelling is functioning now despite its ceiling giving way to the shelling at several spots. Of the required teachers' strength of 75, only 19 teachers are working. A good number of teachers who had been displaced have not returned and no replacement made. But the school has 675 students. The Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation is one of the NGOs which runs orphanages for children who lost their parents in war. In one such orphanage in Kilinochchi stays a girl who lost both her parents a couple of years ago in the military bombing of St. Peter's Church in Navali which killed more than 130 persons – mostly women and children – seeking shelter. The irony was that the Government of Sri Lanka had told people to take shelter in churches and schools before the attack. The orphan girl still could not come in terms with the fact that her parents are dead and she believes that they are alive and are "missing".
In Jaffna which is in the northern tip, the prices of commodities continue to be high compared to those of the national capital Colombo. For instance, the price of petrol is Rs. 84 (Sri Lankan rupees) whereas it is Rs. 54 in Colombo. Before the peace agreement, the petrol was scare and vehicles had to be run on kerosene, particularly in the LTTE-controlled areas. Jaffna residents survive on the money order income. Every other household has a relative working abroad who sends money. But the question is how long this would continue. Unlike the other Tamil areas which depended on agriculture, animal husbandry and business, the natives of Jaffna mainly depended on government jobs. Jaffna had been a place with good English education and the people here outsmarted Singhalese in civil services. De-reserving government jobs and admission to educational institutions for Tamils was a main cause of the Tamil uprising.
In most Tamil regions, with a good number of marriageable young men having moved out of the country in search of jobs or died in fighting, young women find it difficult to get husbands. Several married women have become widows or manage their households themselves with their husbands working abroad. Single women and female-headed households are in large numbers. In the patriarchal Tamil society, women had traditionally played limited role outside their homes. NGOs have now come forward to teach these women vocational skills. The women are encouraged to join support groups and are given an opportunity to share their trauma with other widows and single women.
Landmines pose a mind-boggling problem. Civilian casualty rates from landmines in Sri Lanka's war-torn areas are among the world's highest. Till such time the last landmine is cleared or becomes ineffective over the years, losing one's limbs is a possibility. There are cases wherein housewives have lost a limb while sweeping the front yard of their house after resettlement. Even amidst limited resources in the LTTE-controlled regions, artificial limbs fixing is a medical specialty. There were times when the LTTE even used aluminium vessels as a raw material for artificial limbs. Now NGOs have stepped in and fibreglass material too is available for artificial limbs.
In the LTTE-held Wanni region (which includes Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu) alone, 12 lakh landmines out of 1,75,000 landmines planted in the region had been cleared. Landmines are cleared with local equipment which is essentially a three-forked small iron rod. This work is hazardous and has cost a few legs. In other regions, mine clearance work is yet to take off in right earnest. The Government says that it has no funds to set apart for clearing mines. To revive agriculture in the war-torn areas, the World Bank has planned to fund U.N. mine clearance efforts. But the project is yet to gain momentum.
Tamils and Singhalese distrust each other but they pretend to respect each other. They do not even bother to learn each other's language. They live as two distinct ethnic groups. But now they have come to understand that solution cannot be found through war. The ceasefire has brought cheer even to the residents of Colombo, relieving them of the numerous military checkpoints and the fear of LTTE attacks. Twenty years of ethnic conflict has left the country's economy in a shambles, and the people as a whole are desperate for an economic recovery. Tamils have lost lives and property and not many of them are ready to believe in a temporary peace agreement, particularly when the military does not adhere to certain provisions of the agreement. Everyone looks forward to a permanent solution. Above all, how can the displaced, impoverished Tamils resettle when enough help does not come their way?
