Like any other normal 7 year old, Rohini, has her
dreams. ‘I want to become a doctor so that I can help my people,’ she shyly
confides before going out to play with her friends. There is just one problem. Rohini is one of
many thousands who have become displaced since August last year due to an
upsurge in the ethnic conflict. Given the unimaginative name of ‘IDP’
(Internally Displaced Person), by NGOs, these people are housed in ‘camps’
looked after by the government and relief agencies. For some, they have been displaced since
August whilst others are relatively new comers.
The east coast of Sri Lanka from Trincomalee down to
Batticaloa is now full of these ‘transitional’ camps, housing mainly Tamil
refugees fleeing the fighting from uncleared LTTE held areas to find refuge in
Government held areas. Rohini has experienced a lot in the last couple of
months. With her family, she had escaped
on foot through jungle routes, and on rafts and boats through the lagoon and
sea, running through cross fire. Her
mother, Viji says, ‘At first we did not want to flee, but the shelling got
worse and we had to go. It just wasn’t
safe anymore’
These stories are not uncommon as majority of these
people have been shuffled back and forth like pawns on a chess board as the war
has moved across the east. Another
inhabitant within the camp, Padmini has a much more harrowing tale to
tell. Speaking from her low roof tent,
that has been donated by an NGO which she shares with 7 others, she recounts
how she has been ‘displaced’ since April 2006 moving from one camp to another.
For those not lucky enough to have relatives or
friends to look after them, majority of the displaced people end up in camps
that have been converted from schools.
With basic water and sanitation facilities, and poor cooking
arrangements, life in the camp is just about bearable. When the school buildings overflow, tents or
tarpaulin sheets are erected, forcing men and women who do not know each other
to live in the same vicinity with little privacy for women. During times of emergency it seems that those
who have suffered still undergo future stress, living in a tent, with
strangers, scorching during the day and shivering at night, with very basic
food being given and not enough toilets.
Yoga, a 48 year old farmer explains the food
situation ‘we are provided with one curry and a plate of rice. Often for days on end. In some camps, with extra funding, they throw
in some vegetables now and then.’
M. Firthous is a volunteer at one of the makeshift
camps that have sprung up in Batticaloa, close to where the latest fighting is
taking place. A teacher by profession,
his school has been converted into one camp and school has been suspended for
the while. He laments ‘ these type of
crisis means that the education of the children is disrupted whilst the school
is used for a camp. This does not even
take into account education for the displaced children’. With some disruption, it is not surprising
that there is a huge disparity in education in this part of the country as
opposed to other parts. Those children
that can attend school don’t have the right frame of mind to continue education
Unfortunately with such crisis, the sudden influx of
displaced people puts pressure on the authorities and humanitarian agencies to
cope with demands for shelter, food and sanitation. Some camps are well looked after, whilst
others are barely able to survive.
Whilst the accusations are that humanitarian
agencies are not responding enough, there is a growing concern regarding
security and favourable conditions for the agencies to work in. Following the ACF killings last August, there
has been a growing reluctance for agencies to commit themselves in unsafe
conditions. Coupled with the attacks on
American and European Diplomats last week as they toured the east of the
country, agencies are thinking twice about it.
Hence there arises a dichotomy for action. As a head of mission does one
commit his staff to these areas, even though they have narrowly avoided mine
attacks and shelling? What about the
people who have suffered this for the past couple of months? Surely they are more of a priority…. These are arguments that will go on as long
as there is conflict in this part of the world.
With all this hardship, fear and uncertainty, there
is one thing that everyone is united on.
Even if it takes months, they all want to go home. Nadarajah is a family whose house was
destroyed by artillery fire. ‘ My house
is destroyed, I lost some members of my family.
Even if it takes months for peace to return, I want to go home. I want to start a normal life.’
The semblance of normalcy is what everyone needs but
the scars of tension and trauma are deep and will remain for a long time.
This was originally printed in Reuters Alertnet
