The government’s crash programme to resettle displaced persons has resulted in the neglect of many of those still waiting in camps to be resettled, according to displaced persons and staff at non-government organisations (NGOs).
According to the government, 140,087 persons from 45,431 families remain in camps, while 159,913 persons from 98,559 families in the Vavuniya district have been resettled.
It is claimed that several zones have been overlooked by the authorities after camps in those zones were unofficially declared closed. Those still living in Zones 0, 1, 2, and 3, named Kadirgamar, Ananda Kumaraswamy, Ramanathan and Arunachalam respectively, have the advantage of semi-permanent structures, with facilities. But those living in other zones lack such facilities.
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| More than 60,000 displaced persons have moved into Vavuniya town. Pix by S. Lambert |
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| Those moving out of camps want jobs and the safety of the town. |
“Zone 7, Dharmapurum and Sumathipurum are neglected,” said an IDP camp resident. “This is mainly because of unofficial announcements that the camps have been closed. But there are people still living in those camps.”
The schools in these camps have also been closed, and the children are missing out on classes, the resident said.
Meanwhile, Vavuniya town has become seriously overcrowded with the arrival of thousands of IDPs, the Sunday Times learns. Internally displaced persons are gravitating to the town in search of jobs and for greater personal security.
Over the past few months, the population of Vavuniya has swelled from 180,000 persons to up to 240,000, according to a Vavuniya District Secretariat official. “There are more than 60,000 IDPs staying with relatives in Vavuniya. They feel safe in the town. But all this overcrowding could lead to problems,” he said.
Schools in Vavuniya are also overcrowded. The demand for places for school-going children has resulted in some school principals asking IDP parents for donations.
According to sources in Vavuniya, several school principals in the district have been asking for Rs. 5,000 rupees to enroll a child for the morning session. Eight schools are conducting evening classes for IDP students.
According to Vavuniya Zonal Education Director Mrs. V. R. A. Oswald, principals have been instructed not to ask for donations from parents from IDP camps.
Relief agencies working in Vavuniya have a list of serious concerns: heavily damaged tanks, roads and public buildings; vast tracts of arable land still filled with mines, overcrowding at transit sites, and a lack of emergency and night services in hospitals are some of the problems cited. Too add to problems, heavy rains are getting in the way of the de-mining process, and also stopping IDPs from returning to their homes. “The rice bowl area is full of mines, endangering life and limb and prohibiting agricultural activity,” said a senior official at the UN refugee agency UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), Mannar.
“The UNHCR is handing out shelter grants of Rs. 25,000 for each returning family as a first step towards helping them rebuild their homes and restart their lives,” the UNHCR official said. “The grant can be obtained through state banks.”
The UNHCR official said 6,007 persons from 1,735 families have been resettled in Mannar since October 21, most of them with host families.
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| There’s still a long way to go to get settled. |
In Killinochchi, 863 persons from 240 families have been settled in the Poonakary division. “Only one AGA division is operating in Kilinochchi,” said Kilinochchi District Secretary, Mrs. R. Ketheeswaran. “Fishing is still prohibited. IDPs are being housed in temporary homes. Resettlement is being done side by side with mine-clearing,”
De-mining is being conducted by several organisations. Spearheading the initiative is the Humanitarian De-mining Unit of the Sri Lanka Army, which is handling 70 percent of the de-mining work, according to W. K. K. Kumarasiri, Secretary to the Ministry of Nation Building. The Thunukkai AGA division in Mullaitivu district and the Poonakary AGA division in Killinochchi district have received the Land Release Certificate (LRC), indicating that these areas have been cleared of mines.
Other groups helping with the de-mining are the Danish De-mining Group (DDG); Horizon-India; Sarvatra-India; Halotrust; the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (SFMA), and the Mines Advisory Group (MAG).
Approximately 530 square kilometers of land have been de-mined so far, leaving around 2,500 square kilometers still to be cleared, according to a Nation Building Ministry source. The ministry is still conducting an impact survey on mines.
“The rice bowl area is being given special consideration. You can see the mines sticking out of the earth in this area,” he said.
Mine experts estimate that about one million mines are scattered over a land extent of 5,000 to 6,500 square kilometres.
Mullaitivu District Secretary Emelda Sukumar said 5,489 persons from 1670 families have been settled in Manthai(West) and the Thunukkai AGA division.
“Most of those who don’t possess documents have been settled in their original land areas. The majority of the IDPs, 90 percent, are farmers. They need to get back to the land and start work,” she said.
Repeated attempts to reach Rishad Bathiudeen, the Minister of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services, for a comment were unsuccessful. |
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