A journey through the valley of tears

Kebithigollawa tragedy:

by Indeewara Thilakarathne and Ranga Chandrarathne in Kebithigollawa

As the Kebithigollawa tragedy passes the obnoxious one year mark, the panic-stricken villagers are still grappling with the reality of living in fear though the army had fortified security around the village.

On July 15, 2006, a passenger bus caught up in a roadside claymore blast by the LTTE terrorists killing 69 people and causing injuries to scores of people.

As the bodies of innocent passengers were brought to the village of Kebithigollawa, Yakawewa and Halmillawa, the entire villager turned into a sea of tears and the panic-stricken villagers fled the villages to the Kebithigollawa city.

Although villagers have returned to their original settlements from the transit camps in the city of Kebithigollawa as the army provides security to the villages, villagers are still confronted with wide rage of issues including lack of medical facilities, no persons to listen to their grievances and a sense of being isolated.

Presence of large number of mentally retarded children in these villages poses a social issue as there is little or no infrastructure to take care of them.

Special Education required for the children is a distant dream as the parents are unable to take them to the nearest city, Anuradhapura.

"I have lost purpose of life. We were in the ill-fated bus. My wife, son, grand child and a lot of in-laws killed in the blast.

Altogether relations were 24 killed. We were going for a funeral of a village guard who was one of my sister's sons. Only the youngest son who is also a village guard, survived and I live with him. He works at the fence of bunkers.

As I was severely injured, now I am an invalid. At least, a family member was killed in all most every family in the village. Although Government provided security, villagers are still in fear of being attacked by the LTTE. We heard shooting everyday," said M. Ratnayake, a villager of Yakawewa.

Though the armed soldiers are roaming the village and the village is fortified by a fence of bunkers, people are still in fear as the LTTE could launch an attack on the village entering through the forest cover between bunkers. As the security forces and the police deployed in the villages of Yakawewa, Halmillawa, Kanugahawewa, Thalgahawewa, Nikawewa and Koongollawa, life is gradually returning to normalcy.

Although the physical infrastructure has been restored to a greater extent, their shattered daily routine should also be restored with a process of healing the wounded minds.

Therefore, service of counsellors and psychiatrists is needed especially to heal the wounded minds of survivors of traumatized families who had lost not only their family members but also close relations.

Farmers are urging for a better and secure environment to commence cultivation. One of the basic requirements for them is irrigated water and market facilities for their agricultural products.

"Following the Kebithigollawa blast, the officials pledged that two buses will be provided for the village. However, so far the village was given only a bus. Even this bus has also been assigned to other routes, Dutuwewa.

By the time, children return home it will be as late as 4 p.m. because bus goes to Dutuwewa before coming to Kebithigollawa." said W. Gunapala.

We learnt that a girl lost employment as she was unable to report to work after the official vehicle stopped to come to Kebithigollawa following the bomb blast.

As well as the physical infrastructure, what these villagers needed is spiritual nourishment, counselling, transport and the market facilities for the agricultural products rather than paying lip service to them.

No amount of extolling the purity of culture by visiting political missionaries and their sermons would improve the plight of the people in threatened villagers. Improving physical infrastructure such as roads, transport and education would infuse hope into the shattered life of the villagers of Kebithigollawa and neighbouring threatened villages is the need of the hour.

Fresh are the tears and the haunting memories of the tragedy and the spell of doom and gloom still hung over the skies of Kebithigollawa as lives gradually return to normalcy.

A process of mind healing through counselling and spiritual nourishment should be carried out in order to infuse hope into the lives of these villagers who are still in fear although security has been fortified in the villagers.

Villagers complain that the number of soldiers who have been deployed to provide security and manning the fence of bunkers are inadequate as the terrorist could enter the villages through uncleared jungle areas between bunkers.

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