Special Assignment

13th June 1999

Slow pick-up for Jaffna

We can resolve the problem- Bishop

Travails of travel

Slow pick-up for Jaffna

It was homecoming of sorts when he returned to Jaffna peninsula this week. After its re-capture, he held sway as the chief military man ensuring the security of the area. Major General (retd) Asoka Jayawardena had now arrived for the first time as Governor of the North-East.

When he sat down to a conference at the Secretariat last Tuesday, he was both familiar with the faces and places. There were military and government officials, human rights groups and representatives of various public bodies concerned with the welfare of the public and development of Jaffna.

What he heard for almost four hours not only angered but saddened him. Three and a half years after re-capture, the normalcy in the Jaffna peninsula was being threatened by the slowing down of many public welfare measures. For four days he met with people to obtain details of what he learnt and flew to his main office in Trincomalee to rush an urgent report to President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.

The main problem in the peninsula was the difficulty the public face in travelling to places in the rest of the country. Despite assurances of passenger vessels being introduced, nothing has been done. Only a few who could afford paid airfare and went through a lengthy procedure before being cleared to travel to Colombo and thereafter to any other area. (See story on this page) This affected not only the Jaffna public but also representatives of foreign Governments, Non Governmental Agencies and others involved in development work.

It also affected the economy of the peninsula. Agriculture was booming and the yields are high. But the farmer is unable to send his produce out of the peninsula. This week, a kilo of red onions fetched only ten rupees. That was below cost of production. In Colombo it fetched Rs 80 a kilo. Bananas were aplenty. A kilo of the Ambul variety was just six rupees a kilo, the price of just two plantains in Colombo. Prawns fetched Rs 75 to Rs 100 as against a Colombo price of Rs 275. Jumbo Prawns were Rs 150 a kilo as against a Colombo price of Rs 750.

Vegetables were equally cheap. Brinjals were Rs 25 a kilo (Colombo- Rs 45), Beetroot Rs 20 a kilo (Colombo-Rs 44), Green Chillies Rs 20 a kilo (Colombo- Rs 100) Carrots Rs 20 per kilo. (Colombo-Rs 48) The list goes on.

Items not produced in the peninsula are, however, expensive. Potatoes were Rs 110 a kilo (Colombo - Rs 30), Coconut Rs 25 to 45 per nut (Colombo-Rs 12 to Rs 14).

Some farmers who brought their produce to the market abandoned what was not sold before returning home. This was to avoid carrying the load. A bag of cement fetched Rs 515 last week. Needless to say re-construction of war ravaged homes would be enormously expensive.

If agriculture was the mainstay of Jaffna, the fishing industry followed as the next. There were complaints that fishermen were undergoing hardships due to restrictions placed on fishing areas and time limits being imposed. These have been done on security considerations.

Rising crime, Police inaction, lack of inputs for agricultural/fisheries development, difficulties encountered by schools in obtaining educational aids, expansion of telephone facilities, improvement of transport services were among the long list of issues that surfaced.

How bureaucratic procedures caused problems can be seen by difficulties a leading school had. For the past seven months they were involved in a process to obtain a musical organ from Colombo. That was for use by the School Band. The request was still held over at the Ministry of Defence.

We can resolve the problem- Bishop

From the time the security forces took control of the Jaffna peninsula, there has been gradual improvement, says His Lordship Thomas Savundranayagam, Bishop of Jaffna. Here are excerpts from an exclusive interview he gave The Sunday Times:

Situation in the Jaffna peninsula

There are nearly 500,000 people in the peninsula. They are mostly in the town areas. In the periphery, the population is much less. The security forces are doing a good job. They are trying to understand the nature of the people and are trying to maintain a good relationship. We are cut off from the mainland due to the lack of a land route. Travelling is very difficult. There is no regular sea passage.

On the large scale unemployment:

The two main employment of the people are fishing and farming. Owing to the security restrictions fishing is confined to a limited area. There are a number of fishermen whose livelihood is fishing. The only way the people living here get their protein is by eating fish and very little quantity is harvested. The government has given inputs to start farming. But still a great area of farming land is in the high security zone. People cannot go there. In other areas where they are able to farm, growing tobacco, onions and vegetables is possible but the produce cannot be marketed.

Army operations in the peninsula:

Army conducts combing out operations. Students and young people are taken in sometimes on suspicion. Perhaps infiltration by LTTE is a factor. We don't know whom to blame, but arrests are taking place. The one good thing now is after our repeated requests, the Army gives a receipt when they arrest someone. So with that we know. We can approach the Human Rights Commission. But still, these people are taken to Anuradhapura Courts.

On the security forces:

From the time they took control of the area, I would say there has been gradual improvement. Previous Major Generals insisted soldiers who manned the checkpoints know some elementary Tamil so they can communicate with civilians. This is being implemented to a great extent. This eases the tension and the fear of the people.

On complaints about police:

First the police are unable to do their work because they also need security. They don't know the terrain, the language. Due to infiltration their life is also in danger. Therefore they are reluctant to come out immediately and act in matters. Second, of course there is no courts functioning now. Disorderly elements take an upper hand. We are worried about that.

Boycott of work in state sector:

That only puts the public into difficulty. They cannot transact business in the Kachcheri and other government departments. It was a great inconvenience to the people. So we are very thankful the LTTE withdrew that. They are very conscious of the difficulties of the people.

Other areas where normalcy is required immediately: People must be re-settled in their own places. But in many places they cannot go back because of the high security zone. There is also the threat of places being mined.

Another fact is that their houses are all destroyed. Therefore the people who have been displaced must be re- settled.

Displaced people have returned with an expectation that their lives would be better.

On the vacuum of a political leadership:

When the LTTE was here they were in control. Now small splinter groups are trying to fill that vacuum. But they would never succeed in that.

A settlement without the LTTE:

I don't see that the LTTE should be outside these negotiations. They also should be somehow or other brought in. They are always saying they are ready for negotiations. Therefore they should also be brought in to this picture. If we feel we are unable to do this, let us be humble and request for third party assistance. We will not lose anything by requesting a third party.

On what the government can do in this situation:

The government must have a plan to solve this problem. Now they have come out with a peace package. Very good. The UNP and the PA must agree among themselves. Both parties must be ready for compromises and consensus.

The government must first make up their mind. Very soon they must do it because we feel that protracting this war has decimated the people and the resources of the country.

I met the President a number of times and also other parties and told them. War is useless. Many other governments have resolved their problems. Why can't we also do so here?

Travails of travel

The spacious two storeyed bungalow that sits in a sprawling garden full of shade trees was once the home of LTTE's then Jaffna Commander, Sathasivam Krishnakumar or better known as Kittu. Today, it is the main office of Jaffna's only newspaper, Uthayan (or Sun). From there, M.V. Kanamylnathan, the Editor, goes through the daily task of deciding what is fit to print for a readership that is starving for news.

The pressures are high and the measures they take will have to be carefully studied. On the one hand there are demands posed by Tiger guerrillas. On the other, security authorities are there to enforce the law. He is assisted in this task by N. Vidyadaran, an Attorney-at-Law who is General Manager.

If the editorial inputs are shaped by Kanamylnathan, management policy is guided by Vidyadaran. Like the editorial office, the circulation and advertising departments are equally busy every day. Demand for Uthayan has grown manifold for a reason that is unique -every day the newspaper prints the names of those cleared by the authorities to fly by a Sri Lanka Air Force aircraft to Colombo. Earlier, it was a case of the prospective applicants queuing at dawn outside a government office every day to check whether they had been cleared. Now the applicants wait for Uthayan every morning for their names to appear. Then they resume the next phase of their efforts for the onward journey. The process for a Jaffna resident to fly to Colombo from Jaffna takes at least two weeks. That is if they are lucky enough. Otherwise it can be longer and can even end up with the application being rejected.

The process begins at the Civil Affairs Cell of the nearest Army Camp from where an application form has to be obtained after payment of ten rupees. Residents queue up from 5 a.m. since only a limited number of forms are issued each day.

Residents are required to forward the completed forms to the Grama Sevaka in charge of the area and have it endorsed. Thereafter it would have to be counter signed by the Assistant Government Agent of the area. These two officials make a careful scrutiny of the applications before placing their signature. That is to ensure members of "Maveerar Families" (Heroes Families -next of kin of Tiger guerrilla families) are not recommended. Thereafter the application goes back to the same Army Cell. Officials there make their own observations and forward it to the relevant Brigade Headquarters. This headquarters, exercising the authority of the Ministry of Defence, will recommend the application to the Civil Affairs Office. It is only thereafter that this office announces the names of those who have been cleared. Earlier, large crowds queued up outside the Civil Affairs Office to find out whether they have been cleared. They came almost every day until they received confirmation.

Now the Civil Affairs Office releases the list for publication in the Uthayan. Once the name of a successful applicant appears, he or she goes to the Civil Affairs Office again. This time to a counter manned by men of the Sri Lanka Air Force. Here they pay to obtain their ticket and the date on which they could fly. Constraints faced by the SLAF often results in flight delays. Priority has to be given to troop and cargo movements for the military.

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