Painful process of reconciliation in Pottuvil
 

By Ranga Jayasuriya

Now it is a painful process of reconciliation, that is unfolding in Pottuvil, a pre-dominantly Muslim town of the Eastern coast. Two weeks ago Muslim mobs went on the rampage charging police commando for killing ten civilians.

That was despite the survivor of the massacre, Kareem Meera Mohideen (60) saying that it was the LTTE who butchered his colleagues.

This is also time for retrospect for some locals as the town lingers back to normalcy.

The allegations of the involvement of Special Task Force commandos harmed the painstakingly built rapport between the local Muslims and police commandos who have been assigned for security in this coastal town like most parts of the East since 1990.

Until that fateful day two weeks ago, the STF had made it an indispensable part of local life.

It was one of the best public relation strategies when it comes to winning people.

One STF officer told this writer the rapport was such that if a representative of the local STF camp failed to turn up for routine weekly events of the local mosque, the Moulavi would visit the camp the next day inquiring whether any thing has gone wrong.

It took only a few hundred of unruly, mobs enraged by wild allegations to almost shatter these years of co-existence.

The STF played a key role in local life. Its conduct in the aftermath of the Indian ocean tsunami won many an appreciation. Chief Inspector Goonaratne, the Ex OIC of the Sastraveli STF camp who was in the centre of controversy was a revered figure among local Muslims. CI Goonaratne, a champion Boxer was popular as Boxer Mahattaya among locals. When the area was cut off in the aftermath of the tsunami, which delayed relief assistance, CI Goonaratne fed locals with his camp’s ration. Once that ran out he turned to the near by Lahugala camp for food to feed the tsunami victims.

The LTTE attacks on farmers working in their paddy lands where a routine during the harvesting season. STF commando clad in civies and arms concealed nearby bushes worked together with local peasants to protect peasants. But, having done all this, the STF feels it was a thankless job. “After having done everything for them, some 70 -80 people went before our camp shouting slogans,some even showing their private parts ,” said one officer at Arugam Bay STF camp referring to protests.

Many feel this is a gross display of ingratitude. On the other end, locals want what happened to be forgotten, as soon as possible.

M. Faize, a local three-wheeler driver blames political leadership for exploiting the issue for political gain.

Now, the mosque has taken the issue under its purview and a series of peace committee meetings have been arranged.

“Politics festered the issue,” says Faize.

Still some locals are not prepared to accept the statement of the sole survivor, Mohideen.

This week Mohideen repeated his claim. He said four men who spoke in Tamil took them to the jungle having blindfolded them and attacked with knives and axes.

“He has gone crazy,” said one villager, Sidique.

But, even he wants, “bygones to be bygones.”

No one wants to give up STF security.

Many an appeal has been sent to Director STF in Ampara and Batticaloa, SSP K. H. Jayaweera seeking the continuance of STF security. Several others have been addressed to the President Mahinda Rajapaksa; among them are appeals from Akkaraipattu Grand Mosque, Akkaraipattu Pradesha Fish Vendors’s United Credit Co op Society Ltd and the Akkaraipattu Traders Association.

STF officers say the riots were fomented by some villagers who engaged in illegal timber trade.

The STF took a group of journalists who saw the extent of deforestation caused by illegal flogging. Journalists could see the vast swathes of forests in the Lahugala forest reserve turned into farm land by locals.

Some officers even suggest a massive land grab by the local Muslims, even trespassing some ancient Sinhala villages in Lahugala. The STF seized 300 loads of timber from April since it took orders from Colombo to curb the illicit timber trade. Interesting enough, one demand of the mob was a ban on the STF to check the transport off illicit timber.