Villagers resettled in 14 Grama Niladari divisions:

Life springs back to normal in Musali

by Dhaneshi YATAWARA in Musali

Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Northern Development Senior Presidential Advisor, Basil Rajapaksa M.P. speaks to IDPs.

Northern Province Governor Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri, Army Commander Lt. Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya, Wanni Security Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Kamal Gunarathne and prominent Tamil political leaders at the commencement of the resettlement program.

Hilda Sriyani was happy to be in her own house in her village. A descendent from Negombo, Hilda married Joseph Mariyadas in 1979 and settled down in Kundachchikuda in Mannar. “Life is hundred times better than what it used to be”, she said.

Hilda, her husband and son is resettled in Kundachchikuda for the fourth and the last time including 97 families of this small village in one of the remotest parts of the Musali DS Division in Mannar.

“We lived in fear. Since I’m a Sinhalese the LTTE was suspicious about us and right throughout we were harassed. We were displaced four times and have stayed in Kalpitiya, Thalawila and Pitipana refugee camps and then settled in a welfare camp in Nanattan and that was on September 1, 2007,” she said.

Torture

Life was hard for people for the past two decades and it is only now that they enjoy freedom. “Those were the worst days in my life,” said Anton Vijey (27). Because his mother, Hilda Sriyani, was Sinhala he was constantly suspected. “I couldn’t talk to my friends or neighbours at leisure. The LTTE would drag me away and beat me,” Anton said. “Once I was beaten under a Holy Cross in my village and on another occasion they tide me to a lamp post and beat me with palmyrah branches until I bleed badly,” he said recalling those gruesome moments.

No one in the village could protect me. My parents were helpless,” he said. “Life is totally different now with freedom and a sense of security. We have the freedom to build our future. That is all what we wanted,” Anton added.

No income

“Those days the fishing mudalalis were not allowed to buy our catch. The LTTE tells us where to go and sell our fish”, said Paramanandan, a fisherman in Kundachchikuda.

Most of the villagers are fishermen and farmers. During the rainy season from October to March, paddy is cultivated and during the rest of the year they go fishing. This was their traditional lifestyle for generations.

Reawakening Kundachchikuda village

The access road to resettled villages, under repair

Paramanandan said the LTTE always demanded a part of the catch and often the best.

“We were not allowed to go to the sea as we wanted. We couldn’t go fishing daily during the season,” he added. We had to face the same situation when we cultivated paddy. Either they would restrict our activities or take our harvest forcibly. We did not have enough food or money to survive,” he said.

Nearly 150 - 200 fishermen who were residents of this village will be coming here to do their job and with time they will permanently settle in the village. “This is our home, the place where we were born and bred, said 34-year-old J.M. Naizer, a fisherman of Kundachchikuda now living in Puttlam after the displacement. He travels from Puttlam to Kundachchikuda for his business and he intends to return to this village.

Saving youth

The difference between Arippu and Kundachchikuda is that Arippu had more government officers, teachers,clerks etc. The two villages are returning to normalcy.

P. Emanuel Crooz, the Principal of the Manarippu Roman Catholic Tamil Mixed School, seems to be the happiest man in Arippu. He is free and does his duty.

“When everything was under LTTE control, we had to give the school hall to the Tigers for their meetings. This disturbed the education of children.

We had no say. I never thought we would be relieved from this situations and will be able to live freely”, he said.

“To protect the children from conscription I had to send them to schools in Mannar. LTTE would drag children and the school was an ideal place for their recruitment.

I faced many risks but I see those children are now safe. It gives me comfort and satisfaction as the best thing I ever did during my career,” said a retired principal.

Normalcy

Lives are returning to normal following the liberation from the clutches of the LTTE.

People speak about all the good done by the soldiers and sailors with great appreciation.Now people could continue with their livelihood as infrastructure development is taking place.

Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Northern Development Senior Presidential Advisor, Basil Rajapaksa M.P. spoke to some of the IDPs who returned home on October 22.

The former strongholds of the LTTE - Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi Districts - are among the areas in which the internally displaced Tamils of North will be resettled under resettlement program of the Government.

The resettlement of a total 41,685 persons from 12,095 families will take place in the current phase of resettlement which started last week. A total of 41,685 Internally Displaced Persons of 12,095 families were resettled in Kilinochchi, Mannar and Vavuniya.

Around 583 families were resettled in the Vavuniya district while 6,631 persons from 2,644 families were resettled in the Mannar district. And 16,394 persons of 4,415 families resettled in Mullaitivu district and 10,017 persons of 2,453 in the Kilinochchi district.

With the de-mining process progresses with the Government’s initial plan is to resettle at least 70% of the Internally Displaced Persons within the 180-day development program.