The exodus witnessed.............. Sri Lankan Style
Indira K. Liyanage
Watching the bird’s eye view of the rescue operation on mass media, I tried to draw a parallel with the mass exodus described in Exodus, the second book of Moses, of The Holy Bible. “before it shall ye encamp by the sea.............
They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. (ver.3) And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided, and the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: (ver. 21).”
While the President of our country and the foreign dignitaries watched from the control room of the Sri Lanka Air Force, There began the mass exodus of almost a forty thousand people trapped within the “No Fire Zone”, breaking away from bondage to seek refuge in the liberated areas. With their sole possessions on their heads, they crossed the lagoon over to the Promised Land, the land that waited to receive them, not with guns but, open arms with pure drinking water, food, and shelter.
The gesture of the personnel from the Sri Lanka Army who extend their hands to these starved, terrorised and tortured people seemed to be the most humanitarian exercise of the century, taking into consideration the fact that there would have been those who held guns against them, and killed their contemporaries. They carried out their duty with much compassion, dignity and extreme caution and discipline.
How would the Government and the authorities responsible accommodate such large numbers of displaced persons was the question that flashed in my mind.I heard my husband whisper `Oh my God’ so as to say `I have trouble in my hands’.My eagerness to see for my own self prompted me to follow my husband to Wanni, to witness this humanitarian effort.
Leaving Wayamba Province at the crack of dawn, I was awakened by the chatter of an unfamiliar language. I was in the middle of a long line of government transport board buses that had just brought in another batch of rescued persons to `Manik’ Farm, Zone 2. People were rushing out at dawn for a breath of fresh air scented with the sweet fragrance of peace and sanity.
I was now convinced that I was really witnessing for myself this truly remarkable humanitarian operation. With their precious belongings on their heads, long lines of people filed past me towards the secretariat established to register, and obtain very basic needs.
There were those lined up watching eagerly for those who were arriving to attempt to spot a known face, a face of a relative or a face of their own kith and kin, lost or displaced during the crossing.
The uniformed personnel were extending their kindness with bottles of water, food or even a ride on their arms to the sick and elderly.
A mass of cotton floss at first sight proved to be tents set up to accommodate those who have just arrived. The ones who have already settled in their new surroundings were busy helping the newcomers, or extending their efforts to prepare the ground for the next batch of arrivals. Little kids with plastic bottles in hand were crowding around water tanks, taps set up for drinking water.
Heavy vehicles such as earth movers and pay loaders were preparing the ground for yet another set of temporary tents to be established. A line of white vehicles carrying donations from people of the South in addition to the Government supplies sent in vehicles with the slogan “Uthuru Wasanthaya” painted across, unloaded food, water and other essential requirements. The inmates who were strong and able, and may be those who may have even carried guns or heavy weapons in their hands were now carrying food parcels and humanitarian items to temporary stores.
As we arrived at a temporary clinic set up to treat the sick, the occupants of zone 2 awaited patiently, while the volunteer medical teams with Government medical officers set themselves up to begin their task to heal the sick. They assembled in long queues when the doctors were ready for them, and awaited their turn to tell their tale of woe and obtain solace.
Patients who needed urgent attention were promptly seen and transferred to the Government Hospital in Chettikulam a few kilometres away for better care. The malnourished were given vitamins and minerals, while those sick with minor ailments, received treatment in the form of analgesics, antibiotics, antacids, and other required drugs to ease their discomfort. Most of the patients were suffering from diseases due to starvation, long-term exposure to water, stress and shock.
I was amazed to note that the Government has been quick to establish essential services such as temporary accommodation, health, sanitation, communication infrastructure, security and transport within double quick time and they work as a team in near perfect precision like a symphony orchestra.
With the little communication skills I had, they managed to communicate to me the pressure they had to cope with, the effort needed to break away from the fear instilled on them.
They said that the suffering they had been through finally gave them the strength to reach the “Do or Die” attitude to break away from the clutches of the most feared ruthless terrorist organisation.
Considering actual requirement, I realised that the boxes of liquid milk my friend had brought for the kids, was a drop in the ocean, and feared we would be mobbed if we were to distribute them. However, both she and I managed to give some to those cute kids with large gaping eyes romping around the makeshift hospital.
Driving beyond zone 2 and reaching zone 1, we saw many settled people who had arrived around a month prior to this. There were lorries of Kajans being unloaded to shelter the aluminium roofs from the noon heat, and busses to take people to Vavuniya to see their friends and relatives in hospital.
The “CECB” built aluminium homes were extended their homes to a half walled kitchen where they were cooking hot meals on earthen pots and pans, just like they used to do back home. Little kids were carrying water while the young maidens washed their clothes in buckets and basins. Long rows of neatly and well constructed toilets provided privacy and sanitation.
The elderly were sprawling on the earthen verandas to beat the noon day heat. To my amazement there were home gardens that were laid out where grew beans, ladies fingers, gourds and green chillies to provide them enough vegetables.
Their gardens were neatly enclosed with “Kadjans” or “Tally-pot palms”. Now, where then, were the “concentration camps”?????????? Where were the barbed wire fences and armed guards???
I tread back homeward bound; my head held high with pride to be a Sri Lankan, with thoughts of this magnanimous humanitarian effort taken by the Government not second to any. The Western world that is quick to criticise our Government, should see for themselves, if such humanitarian efforts have ever been witnessed by them in the recent past.
`Seeing is believing’; and those who are presented with such lies and deception, should see for themselves, these safe heavens created for our very own brothers and sisters who have crossed the line with hope. I carry with me positive thoughts of a good deed done for the day, where I managed to feed a few drops of milk to a severely dehydrated old gentleman waiting to be rushed to hospital. I sincerely hope he survived the day to see the better tomorrow; the tomorrow, President Mahinda Rajapaksa plans for them, the tomorrow for a unified peaceful Sri Lanka all patriotic, genuine, law, abiding Sri Lankans are looking forward to.
SUNDAYOBSERVER.LK
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