Jaffna in quest of its lost glory

By Dhaneshi Yatawara

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We were on our adventure to the northern Forward Defence Lines of the Jaffna peninsula. While on our way through Kailadi, Meesalai and Chavakachcheri, famed for people’s agricultural pursuits, we saw on either side of the northernmost part of the A9 road lush green cultivation beautifying the whole scenario.

These are peaceful and quiet villages - unimaginably quiet knowing the fact that there lies the LTTE camps some kilometres away, aiming to explode the peaceful lifestyle of the people.

Separated from India by a narrow strip of sea Jaffna or Yalpanam was the home for many prestigious personalities of our motherland. Life runs smoothly in Jaffna, contradicting reports recently published in certain news papers and websites.

Normalcy returning

The only fear people of the area have is that their children could be abducted by the LTTE. Since the day the Army liberated and brought these areas under their control not a single incident had taken place to disrupt lives of the people,” Rev. Rajan Rohan of the Church of American Ceylon Mission told us when we met him at a medical camp in Poththadi of the Malalkadu area.

Army personnel were conducting the medical camp under the instructions of the Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General G. A. Chandrasiri. As he explained to us the Army continuously conducts medical camps for the people of rural areas. Medicine is issued free to the patients. Though Jaffna is under the military it has an excellent rapport with the civilians.

“The significance about the Army is their concern towards the wellbeing of these innocent people. They are concerned about their nutrition,education, health in addition to security,” Rev. Rohan said.

Jennis John ,74, was significant among the crowd at the medical camp. John, a Sinhalese hailing from Dikwella, Matara has been a businessman cum driver. John’s father has shifted to Jaffna from Dikwella more than hundred years ago.

People receive dry rations at the medical camp

A boy is being examined by a Army medical officer at the Poththadi medical camp.

Vendors kept busy with brisk sales near Nallur Kandaswamy temple.

According to John many Sinhala people have come to Jaffna especially from the South and particularly to set up bakeries. John is still in Malalkadu with his sister and her children.

“Many of these Sinhala people married Tamil people and there wasn’t any sort of difference among us,” he told us going through the history as he remembers. “Problems started only after the LTTE started terrorising the area,” he added.

John was accompanied by his nephew Savarimuththu Manister (40), a fisherman and father of a three year old girl. “We trust the Army very much because we know who they really are. We are able to do our day to day chaos without disturbance,” he added.

Smooth run

Out of the total area of 983.6 square kilometres of Jaffna only 27.9 are uncleared which include only Vadamarachchi East, the Jaffna District Secretariat situation report states.

An average of 59 buses are operated from the Jaffna depot while 24 are from Point Pedro and another 11 from Karainagar, bringing the total number of CTB buses operated in the peninsula to 94. In addition, 462 private buses are operated daily on 18 routes.

According to the District Secretary K. Ganesh, 5,000 private traders are running their businesses in addition to the 24 MultiPurpose Cooperative Society outlets operating throughout the peninsula - except Vadamarachchi East.

Four hundred passengers can travel from Jaffna to other parts of the country on every other day in the passenger ship and the two private airlines operate five services daily, transporting a total of about 220 passengers.Education, the most precious gift of the Jaffna people, performs miracles amidst all the difficulties these children face.

In the G.C.E. Ordinary Level exams held last year, 100 students have gained ten A’s - a very satisfactory figure. Their minds are clear and traditionally they are trained to think that education is their only key to a successful future.

“Jaffna people are now free to lead a normal life and the situation is improving at an amazing pace,” Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General G.A. Chandrasiri told us while explaining how the day to day activities are functioning. With the past experience on LTTE threats to the innocent civilian lives, the Commander does not want any loose points in the security network. Jaffna is a unique set up. Since its liberation from the Tiger clutches the Sri Lanka army is in charge of the total security of the area.

Sri Lanka Army personnel make sure that the people are able to conduct their religious activities, festivals and all the other important functions without interruption. Major General Chnadrasiri who was given the instructions by the Army Commander to take full care of the area makes sure that the needs of the civilians are also met on time, in addition to his to hold Tigers at bay beyond our limits.

“The number of LTTE supporters living among the Jaffna civilians has decreased drastically since we are very strict on not letting anyone do any kind of terror activities,” Maj. Gen. Chandrasiri said. It is a tough job in the hands of Commander and his dedicated team of officers and soldiers.

No shortage

“There is no possibility for any food shortage,” Commissioner General of Essential Services (CEGS) S. B. Divaratne told us when we met him in Colombo to get collect details on the supply of goods to the Peninsula.

From August 2006 to August 2008 the total tonnage cargo sent to Jaffna in vessels hired by the CGES is 191,371 metric tons and by air 206 metric tons have been sent so far. This includes 58,623.16 metric tons of rice, 52,000 metric tons of flour, 15,749.4 metric tons of sugar and 5,677 metric tons of dhal. In addition 2,392 metric tons of milk food items and 27,944 metric tons of non food items have been sent. In addition 167,187 metric tons of goods have been shipped by private vessels.

”These ships never return empty,” CGES emphasized.” During the past two years, Jaffna local products like Tobacco and red onions reached the southern part of the island without any sort of restrictions.” Total products transported to Colombo from Jaffna was reported as 3441 metric tons through the CGES vessels and another 11,340 metric tons were brought in private vessels.

Cultivation in progress near Chavakachcheri.

Currently seven ships are on service to transport goods to and from the Jaffna peninsula. Mercs Ruhuna, Yala which are owned by the Government and Binhtan, Uniglory, Dublin, Nimalawa and Al meezan ship up and down carrying goods for the people. “The private traders involvement in businesses really improved the general condition of Jaffna,” Divaratne said.

“I highly praise the Sri Lanka Army and the Navy for their support extended to us to keep this supply chain unbroken. The Navy providing the security and control of all the ports and Army’s extended support to distribute the goods from Thellippalai is enormous. The Army makes sure that the goods are transported safely and quickly to meet the demand on time.” Divaratne said explaining the cumbersome process that they have to undergo when transporting goods.

“From procurement to delivery this is a tough job,” he added.The CGES makes sure even the medicine reach on time and at the moment there is an adequate stock with the hospitals and any emergency item is airlifted without delay.

During the past two years 34 new buses were sent to Jaffna by the Transport Ministry, Divaratne said.

When we inquired about the power cuts Jaffna is experiencing officers of Security Forces Headquaters said the generators need to be switched off for at least one and a half hours per day for maintenance and repairs. Getting Hydro power to the peninsula is impossible as the Tiger held areas lies in between. A new power plant is under construction in Chunnakam as a BOI project under Northern Power, a private company based in Colombo working as the local agent for Energy Capital, a company based in Singapore.

“After the completion this will contribute 30 megawatts to the national grid under the Ceylon Electricity Board’s power purchase agreement. And we hope to finish the work in another 3-4 months,” Chief Operations Officer of the plant Suresh Devanayagam who is also an electrical and electronic engineer told us when we visited the site during our visit. With its completion Jaffna can have an uninterrupted 24x7 power supply.

Security assured

According to Maj. Gen. Chandrasiri imposing curfew for a limited number of hours of a day has been a blessing in disguise. The number of thefts and burglaries has reduced drastically, he said referring to the statistics presented at the meetings with the civil society.

Comparative to the number of crimes and abductions in the southern parts of the country Jaffna has only a few. It proves the success of the security assured by the forces. The dark gloomy days are gone; gone beyond the seas. Jaffna is back on the track regaining its glorious past.