CSM Visit to Vauniya

1.Purpose of the Visit

The CSM discussed many times as to how best it could respond to the challenges the country is facing at present. Everyone was convinced that what is being done at the moment as a response to the sufferings of the displaced people, is greatly inadequate. Having realized the limitations in our commitment we decided to carry out a campaign to educate the people in the South on the present situation and collect contributions from the public to relieve those in the North of their sufferings.

Therefore our visit was also an expression of our solidarity with the Tamil brothers and sisters suffering in Wanni. During this we donated our collection to the holy family sisters as a sign of our solidarity with those who suffer in the North.

2. The CSM Group.

It was a group of 10 consisting of 4 priests – Frs. Rohan, Sarath, Reginald and Nandana, 2 nuns: Christine, Mildred and 4 lay people: Dhammini, Malkanthi, Fredie and Jesudasan. The journey was started at 4am on Monday hoping to reach Vauniya around 10.45 to attend a meeting of the inter religious meeting at the Buddhist temple but we failed to be on time due to the delays at the check points.

During this visit we met senior priests and nuns, members of local NGOs and international agencies and had long conversations. Below is a short account of data and information that we gathered.

3. Information Gathered.

Displacements.

According to information we received from various sources, people are moving away from the direction of the A9 road towards Paranthan. There are over 315,000 displaced people in Wanni. What is special about these displaced people is that they have to move from one place to another depending on where the bombs fall.

The schools are closed and some schools are occupied by the Army. Though the hospitals are functioning there is a shortage of doctors and other medical staff. The casualties of war are very high from both sides. The LTTE cadres stay with the civilians. There are some priests and religious moving with the civilians. Still the LTTE is in control of the entire area. Although, Vikshopa Madhu and Oddusudan are declared to be “Fire free Zone”, the displaced people for whatever reason do not seem to move towards the West but further towards the East and North.

Security

Due to security reasons no vehicle from the south can go beyond Medawachchiya. Large crowds queue up for all kinds of security check ups, not only the bags but also the bodies of each passenger at Medawachchiya boarder. The security personnel at the check point consisted of army, police, and home guards. Almost none of them could communicate in Tamil with those who were passing through the check points. We observed that some officers were even unkind to the people. They asked lots of questions from the Tamil civilians but unfortunately the latter could not answer in the language of the security personnel. Thus they, some carrying their infants in their arms, the old and the aged had to stand in the queue for hours.

The following is an interesting conversation between a woman constable and an aged Tamil lady as observed by one in our group. The woman police constable asked an aged Tamil lady in the queue, ‘Where are you going’. She answered, “I am going to see my grand son”. Then the WPC asked, “How do you know the birth of your grand son? The old lady said, “My daughter telephoned me”. The WPC asked, “What was the mode of communication”. The old lady said to the WPC, “By telephone”. Then the WPC said “Show me the phone”. The old lady told WPC, “By a land telephone”. At last the police officer became silent and wrote down the land line telephone number.

When this same WPC realized that our group was from the South and we are Sinhalese, she warned one of the group members, “Beyond this point it is very dangerous to go.”
We learned also that these security personnel normally have to work for long hours and are suffering from fatigue and stress.

Although the Vauvniya town looks normal it is so only on the surface according to a very experienced NGO worker. He warned that the reality is not what we on the surface. The most of the people stay indoors after 5 p.m. due to insecurity which prevails in the area. Even the government officers admit that one of the difficulties that people in Vauniya which is a government controlled area, face is the existence of various armed groups. In fact we were told that there are seventeen (17) Para Military groups in operation under various covers.
Some of the groups are operate with the knowledge of the security forces. If the people complain to the Police or the Army about the harassments they suffer in return they are betrayed and have to face the consequences from those same groups. A grenade could be thrown at you or be abducted or even killed.

He said that daily there are cases of disappearances, abductions, killings, threats and extortions reported at his office. He says also that these violations can be avoided if there is a coordinated effort among the heads of various government institutions.

Unfortunately, those who are supposed to maintain law and order often ignore when complaints are made due to various reasons. In the event of disappearances or abductions the person is released when a large sum of money is paid. It is hard to believe that in a government control area such things could happen.

Even if one knows who commit these crimes, he or she cannot make a complaint against such perpetrators. In such a context, the civilians are helpless not knowing what to do or where to go when they are faced with such problems. Some officers told us that they too are in a dilemma because those who bring the complaint tell half of the story out of fear.

A Buddhist monk with whom we had a brief discussion told us that the innocent die daily and also there are casualties from security forces and the LTTE as well. Also, he said that Vauvniya and Mannar are normal as they are now under government control. Soon Wanni too will become normal in the same manner but will take sometime,

Sri Lanka seems to be divided not only as two countries namely North and South but into three. The east as another under Karuna and Pilleyan.

Food Crisis

We heard from a priest who too had to vacate his residence due to heavy shelling and bombing, that a certain amount of food is reaching Vanni but he emphasized that the quantities reaching people are certainly not enough. Once a week the dry rations are being provided by the cooperatives under the control and the supervision of the Government Agent. Though the dry rations such as rice, dhal, kerosine are available to a certain extent people need several other items, for instance milk powder for the children or medicines which are essential items for people but they have no money in their hands to buy them. It is also said the rations given through the cooperatives are really sold to the people. Those who do not have money are deprived of this service provided by the government. It looks as if food become a weapon in the hand of the government?

Since the number of the displaced is too large it is impossible to have an efficient and proper way of distribution of food. Only the ICRC is allowed to monitor this process and no other NGO or INGO.

According to the UN officials the government is controlling the food convoys sent by the UN. Presently a convoy of 29 for a week is allowed to Wanni. That quantity is enough only for 200,000 people.

The government has to decide to allow more food convoys to go to Wanni. At least 50 lorries every three days are required to feed everyone 315,000 adequately. According to UN officials, UN has sufficient stocks available.

A UN official commented that although it was reported in the media that some explosives were found in the UN food convoys denied and said that they have been placed in the lorries by those who arranged them under the government agent’s supervision.

We learned also that the government has instructed the GA’s to sell to the people the food distributed through the cooperatives where as people have no money to buy them. We learned that the food distribution is fully controlled by the government. The UN Representative had said that the government is controlling the food convoys sent by the UN. He said that UN has sufficient stocks available and if the government decides to allow more convoys to go to Wanni on a weekly basis, more food could be sent to the displaced in Wanni. We learned also that the government has instructed the GA’s to sell to the people the food distributed through the cooperatives where as people have no money to buy them.

Health and Medicines

There is a serious lack of medicines. From the month of June until now there are no simple medications like Panadol and especially anti poisonous drugs for snake bites. Already hundreds have died of snake bites. Since people started moving into jungles 422 cases of snake bites have been reported. The number of displaced people is very large the sanitary situation is fast deteriorating. There is no provision of drinking water. Already, Malaria and Diarrhea are spreading very fast due to lack of sanitation facilities. Added to the man made calamities, the weather conditions prevailing now in the area have worsened the situation of the displaced people.

The facilities in the Vauniya hospital have to be improved as it is now catering to the health needs of the Wanni population too.

The dioceses of Mannar and Jaffna and also the O.M.I fathers have collected some money for the displaced in Wanni and distributed among the displaced to buy the essentials. But even the most necessary commodities are very expensive. In Wanni a bag of cement costs Rs.30,000.00.

Travel and Transport.

Only a 5 liters of petrol can be taken to Wanni and inside a liter of petrol mixed with kerosine costs Rs.1500.00. Thus traveling or moving about in the district is really strenuous task.
The electronic items are not allowed to be taken to Wanni. All goods such even bags of rice or fish transported from North to South or South to North have to be being unloaded for check up and reloaded again at the main check point at Medawachchiya.

Refugee camp at Poonthottam.

During our visit we saw a refugee camp at Poonthottam which has been established after the ethnic war in 1990. The refugees are mainly from Jaffna, Killinochchi, Mannar etc. Each family lives in a small house with a kitchen and a room. There are common toilets with minimum facilities. The children attend the schools in the area. They get essential items like sugar, one kilo of rice per month which is not enough. Some in the camp go out to earn little money as labourers. People have been longing for several years for a better future.

Some of the families have been recently resettled in a state land. The GS in the camp told us the remaining families too are to be resettled in the same way but that will take time.

A woman remarked that many groups like ours come and go but nothing happens practically as regards their welfare.

Involvement of the Clergy.

There are several exemplary priests and sisters moving with the displaced people with a strong determination to live with them whatever comes on their way. There are others who regularly visit them. Both Bishops of Jaffna and Mannar have visited their people in the recent past. We spoke to the OMI provincial of Jaffna and the provincial of the Holy Family sisters and also two priests of the Church of South India, travelling to Wanni to meet their members.

We visited the skill development centre established by the JRS. A sister from the South Rev. Laxshmi of R.G.S is in charge of the girls. There are 27 girls from all over North from the displaced families. They undergo six months life skill development programme. These girls have completed their Ordinary Level but since most of them failed in Mathematics they prepare to take it up again.

Sister said that these girls live in constant fear due to their previous experiences. For them a Sinhalese means a “SOLDIER”. Sister related an incident that happened during her absence. The army has once visited the place and the girls have begun to cry and got panic. One of the girls has then given telephone call to Sister and told what happened. Then she has told the Army to leave a place immediately and come if necessary when she is at home.

Also, one of the Para military group stays close to the house and the responsibility is great on the part of Sr. Laxshmi. Many girls expressed themselves about their life in the centre and said that, they at the beginning had fear but slowly they got over it and learned to develop qualities of leadership and their personalities.

When the question about the problems of the Tamils they said the following:

· Their rights are not respected but just violated.
· They are being looked down as a minority.
· Boys and girls are being abducted by unknown groups and killed.
· Parents are frightened to send them out.
· Lack of security and constant fear of bombings and shelling might occur at any moment.
· Due to hartal the schools get regularly closed and that often affects their education.

We met also Sr. Vijaya a holy family nun and young oblate brother who have teamed up to work in the hospital at Vauniya specially to see to the welfare of the patients who are brought there from Wanni. That we felt was an urgent need at the moment because there is no one to help them and no place to go to until they are taken back to Wanni by the IHRC ambulance. The little amount that CSM collected was handed over to Sr. Wjaya to be used for their work.

4. Conclusion

Wherever we went we were cordially welcomed. In spite of all the difficulties the Tamil people encounter daily yet they learn to live hardest way for their survival.

What they need most is peace of mind and security. They want their children’s safety and abductions and killings of their youth be stopped. Their cry is “Allow us to live in peace”. None mentioned to us about a separate state. What we feel is it is self respect, equal treatment with dignity is what they seek.

SCM should meet again and reflect on the experiences of this visit. Definitely we cannot be complacent with what is being done. The campaign has to be continued. More collections also have to be made.

Definitely we will have obstacles as we already faced with the Deputy Minister Sarath Guneratne who accused us that we are misleading the innocent people and bringing disrepute to the soldiers and undermine the military campaign launched by the President.

We perhaps have to encourage more people to go to North to see the situation for themselves.

Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda