Eastern Liberation, birth of a new era

by Shanika SRIYANANDA

The waters of the Mavil Aru flow gently through Kallar feeding thousands of acres of paddy lands and quenching the thirst of thousands of people, today. Until July 21 of 2006, Mavil Aru was just another source of water to feed the East. But now it goes to the history as the place where the foundation to end the Asia's longest terrorist battle, was laid.

It all began with the LTTE's terror that shut down the sluice gates of the Mavil Aru on July 21 depriving the water to over 15,000 people - Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. They were denied of water for drinking and also cultivating over 30,000 acres of paddy and other crops.

When the people were demanding the LTTE to release water for their dying children and the terrorists turned a blind eye forcing people to abandon their homes. President Mahinda Rajapaksa who swore to crush terrorism from the soil, ordered the military to launch its military thrust to regain the control of the sluice gates. Intention of the terrorists was to block the Mavil Aru and cut down drinking water to the inhabitants and drive them from their villages.

The Mavil Aru Operation was not only a military push but the birth of a string of humanitarian operations to liberate the people who lived under the shadows of the LTTE terrorism from Mavil aru to Puthumathalan. No sooner the battle to re-open the Mavil Aru sluice gates flared up than the LTTE attacked the villages - Muttur, Kattaparichchan, Selvanagar, Mahindapura and Pahala Thoppur. A large number of people were rendered displaced. After two weeks of heavy fighting the troops gained the full control of the area and re-opened the gates on August 8, 2006.

The battle to retake Mavil Aru shaped into a well planned military push to taking the desired targets. The dream for Eelam of Vellupillai Prabhakaran started shattering day by day as the troops kept on moving from Mavil Aru to liberate the entire Eastern region.

The next military target was Sampur. It was one August 26 that the troops commenced the operation to capture Sampur, the LTTE stronghold South of Trincomalee. Soldiers of the Special Forces and the infantry captured Sampur on September 2.

The battle to capture Vakarai, the coastal town between the Batticaloa and Trincomalee district was launched on October 26. The LTTE had no option other than putting forward the innocent civilians as a shield to prevent soldiers coming in.

That was the first time the LTTE used civilians as the human shield but over 30,000 people despite tough warnings and beatings fled the LTTE controlled areas. On January 21, 2007 the military liberated thousands of people in Vakarai.

Thoppigala was the last bastion of the LTTE in the East. The tactics of the LTTE to keep their control failed and the military commenced its operation to push terrorists from West and South of Batticaloa. At the beginning the soldiers captured the Maha Oya-Chenkaladi Road on April 11, just before the Sinhala- Hindu New Year.

After April 25 the battle to capture Thoppigala flared up. The two and half months long intense fighting enabled the military to capture Thoppigala on July 11.

Though capturing Thoppigala was an 'unworthy attempt' as the area had no strategic significance according to some people, the well equipped Indian Peace Keeping Force, which even after deploying over 20,000 troops could not take the full control of the 'Baron Cap', which was one of LTTE hubs with well fortified LTTE camps, including training bases, hospitals, prisons etc. It was really the breeding ground for the LTTE and a fine jungle terrain to destabilize the normalcy in the East.

The defeat the LTTE suffered in the Eastern region was not only military but largely economic as well. They collected taxes from the poor farmers, and fishermen, earned a revenue from illicit timber racketeers, and through cultivating cannabis.

Celebrating the Eastern liberation the President Rajapaksa in his address to the nation on July 7, 2007 said "When the first humanitarian operation to free Mavil Aru was launched, many said that our troops will not be able to free the area from terrorists without blasting the anicut. Having won at Mavil Aru when they proceeded to Sampur, we were told that even if Sampur is captured, we will not be able to hold our writ, because of the lack of support from the people of the area. Having liberated Sampur when our troops moved to free Vakarai, we were then told that because of the fall of an important fortress of the terrorists, Prabhakaran will teach us a very good lesson. Finally when Vakarai was won and our troops moved to clear Thoppigala, there were even some Parliamentarians who claimed that our troops were stranded in the jungle of Thoppigala".

The LTTE vanished in every area where the troops moved in. The end to the terror filled era in the region left the Government with another huge task. It was taking care of thousands of displaced people who suffered under the LTTE. The Rajapaksa Government which took up the challenge provided immediate shelter for them while drawing long-term plans for their resettlement.

Soon after the liberation of the East, President Mahinda Rajapaksa falling his 'fact finding mission' launched the 'Negenahira Navodaya' - the Eastern Reawakening' program to resettle the IDPs in their original lands and to develop the region, which has a huge potential to contribute to the national economy with its untapped resources.

With the Eastern Reawakening program - a comprehensive re-building program - the East started rising from ashes. A new era, where people were treated as humans, dawned. Step by step, programs to light up the lives of people were introduced. The program touched the main areas - economic development, restoration of facilities for education and health, resettling the IDPs under accepted guidelines and maintaining a tough security network to ensure the normalcy in the region.

While de-mining was going on to clear the huge mine laden fields, the Government commenced several programs to fulfil the basic needs of the IDPs. Water, electricity and other infrastructure facilities were restored as immediate tasks in the IDP camps. Providing facilities for over 200,000 IDPs and resettling them in their own habitats within a shorter period of time was the gigantic task before the Government. Facing its first experience of handling such a massive number of IDPs, the Rajapaksa government implemented its plan - the 180 day Eastern Development program - where the key government ministers actively took part in restoring normalcy and providing the necessary services to the people.

Aiming to resettle the IDPs as soon as possible, the Government started the program in June, 2007 and adhered to international standards. The Government helped to build over 94,600 houses including houses for those who were affected by the tsunami.

Restoration of livelihood is another important priority for the Government to restore normalcy in the East. The Province, which covers an area of 9,965 sqkm, has 16 percent of the total land area of the country.

Agriculture is the main livelihood of over 60 percent of the Easterners. Under the new agricultural policy 'Api Wavamu-Rata Nagamu', the agricultural sector which includes paddy cultivation, seasonal crops and livestock, was given facilities to restart the business. With the aim of bringing agricultural products into the local market and to reduce imports by 10 percent, the Ministry of Agriculture Development and Agrarian Services Development was given the task of developing the livelihood opportunities in the Eastern province and to generate new employment opportunities in the East.

Fisheries is the other sector on which a large number of families depend in the East. Apart from generating income from selling sea food - cuttlefish, prawns and lobsters - the fisherfolk is back in their inland fishing in the rivers like Verugal Aru in Vakarai. With the LTTE being chased away from the East, the Government had taken steps to ease off the restrictions imposed on fishing and also to provide facilities for storage, cool room and selling the daily catch.

The industrial and tourism sectors are the other main areas that have huge potential for development. The Ministry of Tourism has implemented several programs to boost the golden, beaches and natural landscape to generate employment and boost the economy.

Restoration civil administration and opportunity for Easterners to select their own political leaders after 20 years were the major achievements of the Government.

It gave the East a new political start with the LTTE's breakaway group led by Col. Karuna. The Batticaloa people had cast their votes to elect their town councillors in March 2008, after 14 years. The TMVP, formed by them won the majority seats in the Eastern elections and is now in the saddle to bring development to their own people with the assistance of the Government.

The East where IDPs were resettled successfully, the model for the North to re-build the Northern region where the LTTEs completely annihilated ending the terrorism in Sri Lanka. Peace and harmony among three communities has made the military effort more meaningful.

Booming with a new economy and culture, the people of the East now see a life beyond terror. Collectively they try their best to stand up on their own. Strengthening their hands financially, utilizing the untapped resources in the region to make the region rich and cultivating peace and harmony making the LTTE forgotten in the minds of the easterners, are the ultimate goal of the Government, which is truly reaching its set targets!