So near, yet so far

As the first phase of resettling the displaced people of Trincomalee begins, it’s a long way to go before life returns to normal as homes and livelihoods have to be rebuilt

By Chris Kamalendran

After living in welfare centres in the Batticaloa district for nearly 10 months, displaced villagers of Verugal (boundary of Trincomalee district) were resettled in their hometown on Thursday. More than 1000 men, women and children clinging on to whatever little they had, including kitchen utensils and dry rations provided by the government and non governmental organisations, were transported by bus and then ferried across the Verugal aru to get back to their homes.

Some were lucky enough to have their original homes spared damage in fighting between government troops and the LTTE, but others would have to once again live in temporary shelters until their houses are rebuilt. In addition to the damage caused by the war, some homes have been damaged by rampaging elephants.

“If five percent of the houses were damaged by the war, about 40 per cent have been damaged by elephants,” said Verugal’s divisional secretary Arulanandan Umamaheshwaran. These residents were the first group of people from Trincomalee district to be resettled in their hometown since being displaced in August last year when fighting broke out in Mavil aru followed by the military offensive to recapture the Sampoor area.

But in the adjoining Batticaloa district, the resettlement programme which began with Vakarai has continued in other areas including Manmunai west, Pattipalai and Porathivu Pattu divisional secretary divisions. Life is not easy for those returning home with homes and schools being damaged and getting back to their livelihood including farming and fishing not being easy.

Many houses in villages including Thandhamalai, Ayithiyamalai, Unnichchi and Pavatkodichenai had been destroyed by elephants fleeing the heavy shelling and this has delayed the resettlement process in these villages. Life in the welfare centres too has been difficult since most of the temporary huts have been put up in open areas of sandy stretches with the sun beating down mercilessly.

Many of those living in welfare centres have not yet been able to find alternative employment, thus forcing them to depend on dry rations provided by the government and NGos Many yearn to return to their original homes but one of their biggest worries is security. They fear that Tiger guerrillas may infiltrate the area to carryout attacks against the security forces and disrupting their lives once again.

Although the military has assured the people of a safe and conducive environment, the residents still fear attacks by the LTTE. Two weeks ago an STF officer was killed in a claymore mine blast in Kokkadicholai, an area where the displaced had been resettled. This followed an earlier attack where an STF member was killed and four injured. In addition a claymore mine was set off against a passenger train while five LTTE cadres were killed in a separate incident, raising fears among the would-be resettlers.

Mine-clearing operations are still continuing in areas where villagers are being resettled. Not even Vakarai, where the resettlement programme began in March, is free of mines. A few hundred metres away from the main road in Vakarai mines are still being cleared raising questions as to how safe the area is for the returning villagers. Two fishermen were injured in a mine blast last Tuesday in Vakarai.

In Vakarai some of the infrastructure damaged due to the war is yet to be repaired. Several houses hit by the tsunami , rebuilt and damaged again by the fighting are still visible. Returnees are still languishing in temporary shelters even in this area where the resettlement programme was initially launched.

The government is determined to stick to the original schedule of the resettlement programme and within the next five weeks there are plans to resettle about 80,000 people in Koralaipattu South and Eravurpattu South divisional secretary divisions. Already a similar number has been resettled in the Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts.

There is speculation that the government is going ahead hurriedly with the resettlement plans because of possible provincial council elections. The move had reportedly been discussed between President Mahinda Rajapksa and some ministers from the eastern province.
Meanwhile Batticaloa’s Additional District Secretary, T.Maheshan said although people are being resettled they are finding it difficult to restart their livelihood. “Most of the cultivation has been destroyed, cattle and goats have been killed while some of the farming areas need to be cleared,” he said.