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| Sunday, 13 February 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Can they prove who they are? by Shanika Sriyananda The tsunami has come and gone leaving in its wake a sea of devastation hard to comprehend even a month later. Among the debris of shattered lives and homes reduced to rubbles are a new brigade of people with nothing to showcase, who they say they are, nothing to show their qualifications, their achievements, their accomplishments....
These are people without an identity. For the killer waves, though sparing their lives have taken away their birth certificates, ID cards and educational certificates leaving them bereft of not only loved ones and a home to call their own, but even proof of identity. Statistics are not available as to how many people have lost all documentary proof of identifications, authentication and even ownership. But along the coastal stretch every person who faced the killer waves, has a woeful tale of loss of possessions to relate. "We've lost everything that indicates who we are", is a common litany that is repeated over and over again, by the young and the old alike. The loss of 'paper proof' who they are and what they have accomplished academically and professionally is augmented by the loss of loved ones and the sense of responsibility, the tsunami had thrust upon them by sparing their lives. "Life is tough. More so because suddenly, there are many depending on us, but how do we re-claim our lost identity", many ask. The questions are loaded and seek answers to more than lost documents. But the resilience of youth, also makes many determined to proceed with their lives, albeit having to start anew. Tharangani Goonaratne's tale is typical of a youth, who has lost everything, but is determined to start anew. In a horrifying moment the 22-year-old, who is the eldest in a family of seven siblings lost her home and her loku nangi . Their mother and loku nangi - Akila - were getting ready to go to the Sunday pola a few minutes before the tsunami waves struck their little house by the sea. While the other children ran to escape from the rising water Akila waited for her mother. "Akila had a strong bond with our mother. From her childhood she was always behind amma. Even that day she did not run leaving amma", recalls Tharangani. The strong waves separated mother and daughter and a few minutes later, their mother was unfortunate to witness her much loved daughter disappearing under a huge concrete slab. Tharangani's father had died few years ago and her mother had been struggling to feed the seven children with her meagre earning from coconuts and coir. Her mother lost her memory after Akila's tragic death. " She is calling to nangi and pleading with us to bring her home. She is now under medication", says Tharangani. After doing the Advanced Level examination at the Ginaratane Maha Vidyalaya, Thelwatta, Tharangani completed a computer course and is computer literate in both languages - Sinhala and English. At the time the tsunami hit their village she was following a typing course. Now taking refuge at a relative's house Tharangani is compelled to play her mother's role to keep the hearth burning to feed five siblings and to treat her mentally ill mother. She claims she has no way of applying for a job because she has nothing to show her qualification or her capability at the interviews, as all her certificates had disappeared with the tsunami waves. But, she is hopeful of securing a job and earning enough to build a 'house' once again so that her two younger sisters, three brothers and mother can have a place to call home.
So is Janaka Srinath who is in his mid 20s. He did not lose any family member. But the tsunami destroyed his small house and took away all his certificates, including his diving licence. Being a driving instructor at the International Diving School, Hikkaduwe, Janaka studied diving in the same school. "It was sad to see the place where I learnt the ABC of diving collapsing with all its equipment" he says. According to Janaka, the 30 guests including some foreigners who had come for diving had miraculously escaped and no one had got injured. Using his swimming and diving skills Janaka managed to save 20 foreigners. Staying in a friend's place Janaka does not have any option but begin anew. "I want to build a house for my amma. But I don't have a single cent in my account as I spent all to build our house", he says. Janaka had planned to go to Saudi Arabia as a diver. But without any certificates he says it would be a distant dream today. "I do not know what to do. I am jobless and only God knows how we will survive", he says. A. D. Dinapala also lost everything - his wife, a son, all their important documents including his driving licence and the ID card, on December 26. Being a father of three school-going children, he does not want to depend on government or NGO rations. He wants to go back to work as a driver. "The place I worked was completely washed away and without a driving licence who is going to give me a job", he asks. Some are frightened to go out of their area as they do not have NICs. "My husband and I lost our NICs. We are now confined to this camp and are scared to go out", 30-year-old Jayanthi who is a refugee at her nephews house in Balapitiya says. Her husband who worked as a waiter lost his job as the hotel he worked collapsed due to the tsunami. "We have three little kids and are now depending on government rations. Her husband wants to find another job but fears to go out of the area to apply for a job, as he does not have his NIC and the other certificates", she complains. **** Replacing lost documents Most tsunami survivors had lost all forms of documentary identification - from birth certificates to educational certificates. Many are unaware of how to go about applying for replacement documents or even whether they could obtain duplicates. Commissioner Administration, Department of Education Anura Edirisinghe told the Sunday Observer that G.C.E. Ordinary Level and G.C.E Advanced Level result sheets will be issued to those who lost their certificates due to the tsunami, if the victims apply direct to the Department. "They can also make the request through school principals", he said. The Department has also taken steps to provide such result sheets to the affected schools. These documents will also be sent to government institutions which lost educational certificates of their employees. "We need the name and the year that the person sat for the examination. The Department can process the result sheet within 24-hours", he added. The Vocational Training Ministry has also instructed the Vocational Training Authority to issue the necessary documents to the tsunami victims who lost their course certificates. Former students of German Technical Training Institute, National Apprentice Training Institute, National Institute of Technical Education, National Institute of Business Management and other technical colleges can obtain their course certificates from the Vocational Training Institute Narahenpita after giving their names, and the year they followed the course. Meanwhile, the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) has instructed all Divisional Secretaries and District Secretaries to facilitate the tsunami victims who lost their driving licences. DMT Commissioner B. Wijeratne said that those who lost their driving licences should submit apply for replacement through the respective Grama Sevaka with their National Identity numbers to obtain a temporary licence. " This document has to be endorsed by the District Secretary", he said. According to DMT Commissioner, temporary driving licences for A numbers can be obtained from the DMT Head Office at Narahenpita and the licences bearing other numbers from the Werahena office. "We are ready to give priority for tsunami victims in issuing temporary licences, but so far very few people have applied for licences", he added. The Department of Registration of Persons issues National Identity Cards (NICs) from mobile centres in the tsunami hit areas from yesterday (12) and targets to issue over 400,000 NICs before the end of March. According to a Department spokesman, one mobile centre has six officers and targets to issue nearly 2000 NICs per day. The processed NICs at the Department's Head Office will be handed over to each Divisional Secretary and the owners can obtain the cards from their respective Grama Niladharis. These documents - duplicates or originals- can be obtained from the respective authorities free-of-charge. |
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