A SINHALA VIEW: There were several check stops to register our presence.! No recording or communicational equipment were allowed into camps..!!!

Visit to IDP Welfare centres in Vavuniya:

Anxious to go back to their livelihood
On September 28 I and my friend Myrna set off in her tiny Nissan at 3 a.m. through Anuradhapura for Manik farm in Vavuniya. It was 8.30 a.m. when we reached the destination. Myrna thought that it was good timing. We did not find it too difficult to enter the campsites as Myrna had obtained the necessary papers granting us permission to enter all of the campsites. There were several check stops where we had to register our presence. No recording or communicational equipment were allowed into any of the sites consequently the camera and the cellphone had to be surrendered to the personnel at the checkpoints.


Attending class: A brighter future for IDP youth. File photo

Myrna’s purpose in today’s visit to the camps were threefold (a) to monitor the progress of the installation of the air conditioners for the doctor’s quarters which she had supplied in accordance with a request from the Health Ministry (b) to show me around who had gone there from Canada for the purpose of finding how I and my wife could assist in the rehabilitation effort (c) to distribute the Baby Packs which were purchased with Canadian funds to the new mothers in Zone 0.

The camps were numerous and spread out, most of them were numerically identified whilst others had names.

At a glance they were neatly located, access to them had been muddy in the past due to the rain but was acceptable at the time of our visit, the potential for the roads being muddy and undesirable during the rainy days was obvious. Such facilities as medical centres, banks, schools and rows of toilets were to be seen. A post office was also said to be available but I did not see one.

We also did not see military personnel walking around the campsites giving the impression of a highly guarded military base. We visited Zone 0, 1, 3 and 4. Spoke to residents in each of the camps listened to their experiences past and present, the most common sentiment expressed being that they are relatively happy now, purely because the prospects of seeing the day light of another day is a reality as compared to their previous situation.

We were happy to witness children playing cricket and adults engaged in some sort of organized sports activities in what appeared to be an area allocated for such events. Witnessing these events strengthened the belief in man’s adaptability and resilience.

A gentleman that we spoke to in one of the camps, who claimed to have had a business earlier and who appeared to be knowledgeable about the goings on indicated to us that the cooperation that IDPs get from regional authorities namely Education Department in this case is not helpful due to, in his opinion, the officials manning the Department is not well disposed towards them because the IDPs abandoned the LTTE cause.

He and many others that we spoke to did not hesitate to praise the military and the commanding officer for humanly treating them. From among those in the camps we had talks with, there were some who claim that their residential and business properties are known to be intact and if they had the opportunity of getting back those properties their livelihood could be restored and the burden on the Government will be eased. Our understanding is that due to the enormity of the task of Security and Land Mine clearing the IDPs cannot be released.

This is acceptable, but what may be set in motion if still not done, is to make a survey of individuals who claim to know that their properties are intact, verify the claim, determine the safety of the locations (mine free), Security clear them on a priority basis, provide them with a start-up fund, an amount in the least, equal to what may have cost the State had the process not been in place and release them to commence their livelihood.

I was surprised to hear such comments as “We are happy here don’t want to go back to where we came from, there is nothing left for us.”

This sentiment was evidenced by the observation that some campsites had flowerbeds with blooming flowers and vegetables grown around the camps. We never saw any of the campsites being untidy or uninhabitable.

Yet these are not ideal conditions where humans would want to live in. One has to bear in mind that these are temporary measures taken to the best of the abilities of a Government. In my opinion under the circumstances they have done a good job.

Before leaving 15 push bikes were donated with the Canadian funds I had as requested by the Medical Department for the use of Midwives, to move from camp to camp.

- KITHSIRI PERERA

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