The lovely Trinco in the blissful Thai Pongal

By Dhaneshi Yatawara in Trincomalee

It was just one day ahead the festivities when we reached Trincomalee last Monday. The deep blue waters and the marble like beaches were picturesque. Blessed with such beauty, Trincomalee, along with all its glory was getting ready to enjoy the beginning of the year as the Hindus believe. The city was as normal as any other developing township.

With the farthest efforts of the Tri Forces and the Police, Trincomalee is safe, peaceful letting the people living there blend in pleasantly and consistently. The kovils in and around the city were getting decorated with bright colours and ornaments - a glimpse of the peaceful mind of the citizens.

The 412,547 (approximately) people living in the Trincomalee district consists of almost an equal number of people of all three communities, the Sinhala, Tamil and the Muslims.

The Koneshwaram Kovil or rightly known as the Thirukoneshwaram temple was getting ready to welcome the awakening of gods and bring their blessings to the common people. Situated at the top of a rock the kovil is blessed with a scenic beauty. Standing at the edge of a rock, a devotee would definitely feel the blessing reaching him or her from the heaven up above. The sea waves splashing against the hard rocks, the spot where the 'Ranmuthuduwa', of the box office hit Sinhala cinema was filmed, long stretches of sea and beaches would definitely make any Sri Lankan blissful and devoted.

Thanks to our brave soldiers of Army, Navy, Air Force and officers of the Police, Trincomalee holds a peaceful and a secured environment for the civil administration to function. The Governor, Rear Admiral Ashan Wijewickrema and the District Secretary Maj. General (Rtd.) T.T.R. de Silva, with their understanding of the military situation and a sound knowledge of the area for over many years of service as Naval and Army officers enable the civil administration to function without interruption. According to Maj. Gen. de Silva, the statistics show only a slight change in the number of people over the years meaning that the people who were living in the area have not changed their traditional lands.

The city and the suburbs are totally accessible to anyone. There is checking of vehicles and people moving in and out of the town limits, if not, the safety of the area can not be guaranteed as Trincomalee spreads towards the recently liberated Verugal in the south, the north towards Yan Oya and the West by Hathares Kotuwa in Habarana and the East, of course, by the deep blue sea, the Bay of Bengal. "During the 90's the southern side of Trincomalee was heavily disturbed with occasional tremors caused by the LTTE. Particularly, the Verugal Division became a place where an average Government servant can not carry on with his duties without LTTE interfering in their work," Maj. Gen. de Silva added.

Thai Pongal

The Hindu chief priest of the Thirukoneshwaram Kovil, Sivasri Sivakuha Kurukkal was peacefully getting ready along with his team to start the year according to their beliefs. "It is absolutely necessary to perform these rituals with devotion and belief as the kovil is the channel for the gods's blessings to reach the common mass," the priest added. The Hindus believe with such devotion the gods will bless the believers throughout the year. "Thai Pongal does not bless Hindus alone. It is for everyone in the entire country. We worship the Sun, as he is the creator of the world," the chief priest carried on explaining their devotion and commitment.

Talking about the security for them to carry their traditions in the area the chief priest could have been the happiest person. On the day of the festival, soldiers, police officers, sailors and airmen were there at the kovil throughout the day to get the blessings of the gods for protection. Irrespective of race, caste or creed, profession or age, the blessings reach everyone through the holy shrine.

Very early in the morning around five the priests commence their rituals and by around 6 to 6.30 a.m. people make their trek to the temple after performing their house rituals. Everyone was neatly and gaily dressed giving the beginning of the year, a fresh back drop.

In the evenings people with their families were gathering at the beach to bask in the evening sunshine. The same evening there were hundreds of willing crowd, young and old, gathered on the beautiful sea shore artfully designed by nature for the people to spend time and enjoy. Many local tourists were there as well. It was a wonderful sign since, myself, a 'foreigner' in their land from Colombo, was under the impression that the town becomes desolate during the evenings, even on special days.

For years there were no discrimination shown by the military. Officials confirm this situation and the commander ensures strick discipline among on the Tri forces and the police, especially during turbulent times.

The administration and the military control goes hand in hand in Trincomalee. Even after the Government declaring the abrogation of the Ceasefire Agreement, life in Trinco was going on regardless with its day-to-day life without interruption.

On Wednesday, the 16th of January

The day started as usual for Trincomalee with its natural beauty with the light breeze breathing from the bay.

Every eye of this island nation has now turned towards Velupillai Prabhakaran and his marauding killer gang. Trinco, naturally, was tensed up a little. But people carried on with their day-to-day life. The assurance of a secured environment, given by the Army and the Police, should be highly appreciated. Not a single incident was reported in Trincomalee and the outskirts during that tense fourteen days after the announcement of the abrogation. Sri Lanka Army, Navy and the Air Force protected the land, air and the waters of Trincomalee.Speaking to several ground commanders of the Army about the immediate past, they were happy to note that there were no violations against the public by the security personnel. Amidst the tight security people went about their ways. "We have made the area safe for people to come and invest in," the Military assures. The military forces are capable of eradicating terrorism and consolidating the Government control of the area and leave the rest in the hands of the public administration and the common people of the country.

People of Trincomalee

They seem to be getting along with their normal chores on with their lives just as we all do in the rest of the country. Since we reached Trincomalee on a late afternoon the schools were closed. And on the 16th - the 'D Day' for the Ceasefire Agreement - many schools functioned even in the remote villages.

Resettlements are in full swing. According to the District Secretary only 1626 families still await for resettlement. "Building houses for the tsunami affected families was delayed for no other reason other than due to false promises given by many non governmental organisations. Some of them had abandoned their projects and left the country," he added. Those families that are awaiting resettlement are residents of Sampur area that has now been declared a high security zone. The Government has already allocated two plots of land to build two housing schemes for these people. These new locations is just seven kilometres from their original place of abode, the officials added. The project is continuously in progress with high priority, District Secretariat states.

Kadiraman Manoranjan now happily lives resettled in his own plot of land, which of his ancestors. So do his relatives and neighbours in the village, Kalladi. "During the time of LTTE rule we had to wed our children at very young age. If not Tigers would forcefully take away our children," he said. Proving his story we witnessed while we walked around the village that many couples were quite young. That is the past and now people are safe and happy though the past do hold many dark moments in their lives.

These areas are now emerging. When we were there the Ceylon Electricity Board technicians and workers were laying power lines - to provide electricity to many villages in that area.

Antony Douglas and Winston Fernando who are originally from Chilaw, have put up their 'wadiya' along the coast close to Kalladi. They and their group of ten people have been fishing there since August last year. "We are very safe here. Our brothers in the Army have secured the area and thus letting us to do our job peacefully. And it is less expensive to live here. Now anyone can come and start fishing if they want to," they said. Traders from many cities in the vicinity of Trincomalee come to these areas to buy their catch. "Even the fishermen in the resettled areas are joining us or to go fishing on their own," they added.

Buddhist mark of Trinco

We met Ven. Bandarawela Sumedha Thero at the Lankapatuna temple - the first Buddhist priest to set foot on this temple after 800 years. The temple all is revered with veneration as it is the sacred place where the Sacred Tooth of Lord Buddha was first brought in from India. This is the spot, as the history quotes, where Princess Hemamala and Prince Dantha reached the Sri Lanka shores carrying the Sacred Tooth of Lord Buddha safely.

Ven Sumedha Thero had arrived at the Lankapatuna temple in January last year. "During the Poya days, 2000 - 3000 people come throughout that day. And during the weekends approximately 500 people visit the temple," the thero added. For the past two months, due to the disturbed situation, number had dwindled. The residence for the priest has been built by the soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army.The area is now safe for archaeological expeditions and it is the duty of the relevant officials to declare this site as a sacred area and protect it for the future generation.

The Welgama Rajamaha Viharaya in Kanniyawa under Ven Ampitiye Seelawansa Tissa Thera has established a harmonious link between the villagers and the temple. Ven Seelawansa Thera runs the village with the help of the security provided by the Sri Lanka Army. The area, once an LTTE stronghold, now is resettled with the decendents of the original owners of the village.The land that belongs to the temple is strewn with stone inscriptions of Tamil and ancient Sinhala letterings and many ruins of the previous temple buildings that was built during King's reign. The efforts taken by the chief priest to protect this invaluable archaeological site should be highly appreciated.

The development

During 2007 under the 'Gama Neguma' programme 24 million rupees were allocated for the development of the Trincomalee district, Maj. Gen. de Silva added.

The funding covers a wide range of developments in irrigation development, water and electricity supply, community resources development, religious affairs, fisheries, sports etc. The bus stop, two new market places are under construction. Trincomalee is free from terrorist threats and safety is fully consolidated in the area. And now it is the time for civil administration to take command. The era can be brought back, where people from all over this island nation visited these areas on pilgrimages. Trincomalee is very precious to Sri Lanka and it is the duty of all its citizens to protect and preserve it.

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