Batticaloa Becoming a District of Displaced Tamils
March 20th, 2007
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
There is a deliberate effort going on to minimise the internally displaced person figures in the Eastern district of Batticaloa. The clumsy attempt to juggle with numbers by the media center for national security is a pointer. Another indicator is the callously insensitive claim by Keheliya Rambukwella that only 52, 000 are displaced in Batticaloa.It was totally incorrect to say the least. It may be that the Government of Sri Lanka is trying to downplay the gravity of the crisis by downsizing IDP numbers. If so it is one more exercise in futility by this government.
The de- facto entity governing Batticaloa today is the Defence ministry. The de- jure civil administrative authority is the District Secretary or Government Agent. The district secretariat’s official figure for displaced in B’ caloa on Friday March 16th evening was 165, 485.. These people were from 43, 808 families. Of these 6, 512 people from 1, 921 families had been re- settled in Vaakarai within the B’caloa district between March 7th to 15th. Another 2, 664 from 835 families were re- settled in Muthur and Eechilampattru in Trincomalee district by March 15th. This left a balance of 156, 309 peole from 41, 052 families by the week’s end.
The various acts of aerial bombardment and artillery shelling last year had led to a slow trickle of displaced persons from regions dominated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil eelam (LTTE) to areas controlled by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL). This trickle became a flow during December 2006 and January 2007 when thousands of people from the militarily beleaguered Koraliapattru North (Vaakarai) division began fleeing to Govt areas. Among these were tens of thousand IDP”s from Trincomalee district who had sought refuge in Batticaloa North.
The IDP flow became a mini – flood in March when the armed forces launched “Operation Human shield”.The objective was to capture LTTE dominated areas of five AGA divisions. Army commander Sarath Fonseka has pledged that the Eastern province will be eradicated of the tigers by April new year. The latest offensive was seen as an integral part of an initiative to implement this pledge.
["I missed my son Rajendran (44), while leaving Vakarai. He is a mentally retarded person. I am worried about him, and don't know his whereabouts" says Sellaiah Ramupillai (72), who is a farmer from Kathiraveli - Photo HumanityAshore]
Some attempts by the soldiers and special task force personnel to advance on ground did not meet with expected success as the tigers offered stiff resistance. The brunt of the attack however was borne by the civilians. Barrages of artillery shells and MBRL rockets were fired. Intensive aerial bombardment was on. As a result of these atacks thousands of Tamil civilians left their homes and sought shelter and safety in GOSL areas. Though most people have left their homes the armed forces are yet to advance into this territory.
Substantial parts of five AGA or Pradeshiya divisions were under LTTE domination. They were Pattippalai (Kokkaticholai) Manmunai West (Vavunatheevu) , Poratheevupattru (Vellaveli), Eravoorpattru (Chenkalladdi) and Koralaipattru South (Kiran). Around 145, 000 people wee living in these five divisions. Of these about 128, 000 were living in LTTE dominated areas. Around 106, 000 of this number have registered themselves as IDP”s in GOSL controlled areas. Another 22, 000 are either living in their former areas or have not registered themselves as IDP”s. 98, 000 of these IDP”s were displaced in March this year.
The IDP’s living currently in B’caloa can be classified in two categories. One category concerns people from the Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts . The other is about those living in IDP camps or welfare centers and those living with friends or relatives.
21, 306 people from 5, 981 families from Trincomalee district are living in camps. 6, 729 people from 1, 683 families from Trinco are living with friends or relatives. 27, 005 people from 7. 664 families among the IDP”s in B’caloa are originally from Trincomalee district.
Among those from B’caloa district 62, 644 people from 16, 101 families are living in welfare center camps. 75, 806 from 20, 043 families are living with friends and relatives.Thus according to B’caloa dist secretariat figures of March 16th 138, 450 people from 36, 144 families from B’caloa district are registered as IDP”s.
A further classification could be that 81, 535 people from 21, 726 families are staying with friends and relatives while 83, 950 people from 22,088 families are staying at IDP camps. These categories consist of both Trinco and Batti district IDP”s. Proportionately more Trinco IDP’s are in camps while more B’caloa IDP’s are living with relatives and friends. There are 91 Welfare centers or IDP camps in Batticaloa district right now.
The displaced people are living in ten AGA divisions.Eravoorpsttru has the highest number with 40, 948 people from 10,974 families. Next comes Manmunai South and Eruvilpattru (Kaluwaanchikudi) with 35, 883 people from 8, 422 families.Manmunai North (Batticaloa town) ranks third with 33, 230 people from 9, 502 families. Manmunaipattru (Aaraiyampathy) has 24, 012 people from 6, 260 families.Koralaipattru (Vaalaichenai) has 12, 527 people from 3, 527 families. Koralaipattru south (Kiran) has 11, 888 peope from 3, 139 families.Koralaipattru North (Vaakarai) has 4, 278 people from 1, 282 families. Poratheevupattru (Vellavely) has 2, 384 people from 613 families.
[Photo: Yahoo! News]
There are three Muslim majority AGA divisions. Here the number is small. Kattankudi has 26 people from 6 families. Koralaipattru West has only 7 people from 4 family units. Koralaipatru Central has 302 people from 79 famiies. Most of these are Muslim refugees. They are from Muthur and a few villages north of Oddamavady. All of them are registered as IDP”s but staying with friends and relatives.
The break- down of registered IDP figures in B’caloa are not static. It is an evolving and changing situation. Therefore the numbers will fluctuate daily. Yet it is important to note that the actual number is at least double that of the defence ministry figure. It is almost three times the number stated by Keheliya Rambukwella. An estimated 22, 000 displaced have either not registered or living amidst hardship independently. 38 % of B’ caloa’s 422, 000 Tamils are displaced. The land of the singing fish is fast becoming a district of displaced Tamils.
The state machinery is woefully inadequate to cope with the crisis. Even at the time when the March influx began the administration had not catered to the earlier IDP’s from Trinco and Vaakarai properly. More than 50% of those refugees were living in tents. Then the new influx began. With nearly a 100, 000 IDP’s converging on GOSL areas of the littoral within days the administrative machinery just could not handle it. Even the NGO”s functioning amid many constraints are not able to help enough.
The blame rests entirely with the Govt in Colombo. This is a regime which began military offensives under the pretext of liberating people as human shields from the LTTE. The military campaign has been a massive show of firepower and airpower. Civilian habitats have been deliberately targetted with the avowed purpose of driving the people out.What has happened is that the so called “human shields” are not in the areas where they lived but the tigers who allegedly used them as shields remain.
What is going on now is merely a repetition of what went on in Sampoor, Muthur East, Eechilampattru and Koralaipattru North. Only the scale and scope is much greater. Under the flimsy pretext of “removing a LTTE threat” the Tamil people of the East are be9ing driven out of their historic habitat. They are being systematically deprived of their homes in their traditional homeland. The timing coincided with the harvest season. Everything was abandoned. Most dwellings have been destroyed or damaged. There are genocidal elements in the war being waged.
The Govt which claims it is freeing the Tamils from the LTTE’s clutches has shown no concern whatsoever for civilian plight. This is a time when enhanced finances have to be allocated to B’caloa district. Special arrangements should be made. More personnel and equipment. supplies. utensils etc are needed. Nothing has been done. The already staggering district administration simply does not have the resources to address the needs that have arisen in an extra- ordinary situation.
No comprehensive action plan has been drawn by Colombo when it should have fully anticipated massive upheaval. The treatment meted out to Tamil civilians contrasts sharply from how Sinhala civilian IDP”s were treated in Trincomalee. There are blatant double standards. The Tamil people of Batticaloa are regarded as children of a lesser God?
There are no proper facilities at IDP camps. There is no bread and therefore no breakfast. Lunch is invariably late and often undercooked. People line up for food in the blazing sun and it is pathetic to see them take food in plastic bags. Toilet facilities are not enough. Water is not adequately available. Drinking water is doled out once a day. There is little electricity available. Chimney lamps have been given without kerosene. There is not enough medicine, infant food or milk for children.
About 2, 000 people are housed in each school while 450 – 500 people are lodged in tents and sheds. Three to four families share a tent or shed. No special arrangements are available for nursing mothers, pregnat women or infants. Sick and the elderly too suffer. Diarrhoea, Eye disease and skin ailments are rampant. The situation is fertile for an epidemic outbreak. The weather is hot during day while the nights are cold with rain.
This is why many people have opted to live with friends and relatives. There too the situation is not rosy with many having to share meagre facilities. Many camp on compounds. Still they are relatively better off than those in IDP centers.
Most people fled their homes with only what they were wearing. Earlier the soldiers allowed people to return home and fetch things they needed. All re – entry has been banned from March 16th. All entry points in places like Black bridge, Ambilanthurai, Manmunai, Paddiruppu etc have been virtually sealed off. Many people wanted to go home and fetch documents like ID cards, certificates etc. Now they are unable to do so. People fear that their damaged houses will be looted as in the case of Sampooor and Vaakarai. It is alleged that the security personnel were responsible.
The IDP’ are destitute now but it must be remembered that they were not poor people. Most of them lived comfortably if not luxuriously. They have been rendred homeless now but they are not beggars. The emotional trauma undergone is terrible. Yet many officials and Social activists fail to realise this. They tend to regard them as people who have been poor all along. This is not so.
Batticaloa was once flourishing in agriculture. The East was the granary of Sri Lanka. Today war and deprivation has reduced it to poverty. Batticaloa people particularly those from the Paduvaankarai region were a hospitable community. All strangers and guests were made welcome and feasted with food. It is hear – wrenching to see such a simple, homely, hospitable people being reduced to living in refugee camps and lining up for rations and rice.
Related: More than One – Third of Tamils in B’Caloa Dist are Displaced
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