TAMIL IDPs:Marginalized !!! Separated from the outside world.!!! No freedom of movement...!!! Families separated..!!!

In transition At Cheddikulam...
Sandun A Jayasekera after a visit to Cheddikulam
Sheer frustration and hopelessness were clearly evident on the faces of youth when they talked to the Daily Mirror. They do not know when they would be able to get out of the camps and start a normal life and engage in their chosen field of livelihood.

It is true that they are no longer subjected to the dictates of the LTTE and there was no fear of being targeted in the crossfire between the armed forces and the LTTE. Yet they wish there was a change in their present living conditions and are desperate to go back to their homes.

One of the main grievances of Tamil youth in the IDP camps in the ‘Transition Relief Village’, a part of the Manik Farm in Cheddikulam was that they have nothing to do and had to kill time doing nothing in the camp.

Another complaint was that they are not allowed to go out of the zone even to visit a sick family member living in another camp.

“My parents were working at the ‘Komadola Tea and Rubber Estate’ in Udugama in the Galle District before we were driven away by the 1983 riots. We came to Kilinochchi as refugees and settled there. Our family was fortunate enough to build a small business in Kilinochchi which brought us a good income. The LTTE forced us to travel with them when the war came to Kilinochchi in January this year. We were compelled to work for them and shift places with the LTTE when the fighting intensified. The LTTE at end did not have time to take care of us and fled deserting us,” Chrishna Kandasami, (43) a small scale businessman said.

He lives with his three children and wife in Zone 3.

“I brought about Rs. 250,000 with me when we came here. It has now been reduced to a few thousand rupees as we have to buy all our extra provisions from the boutique or the cooperative,” he said.

Inmates of the IDP camps say that they receive rice, flour, sugar, lentils and medicine free from the government. “Cooking at home has become quite a problem in the last few days with the incessant rains. All our huts and surrounding areas have become muddy,” K. Thyagamurthi (26) of Trincomalee said.

He had been a paddy farmer before becoming a displaced person. He is impatient to see his 20 year old wife who is reportedly an inmate of Zone 4 since the authorities at Zone 3 do not permit him to visit his wife.

The boutiques and co-op shops that sell essential provisions have mushroomed in the IDP camps.

When asked whether they were not satisfied and contented as there was no threat to their lives and are being fed by the government, most of young men did not agree fully.

The frustration of being displaced persons without identity and acceptance, not been able to do any productive work and just hanging around among the same people perennially is extremely difficult they said.

“We want to go back to our places of residence and start our traditional way of life. But we do not know when we will be given that opportunity. We do not know when the mine clearing operations would be concluded in our area,” Mohan Nagulaeswaran of Vishwamadu (29) said.

They would be very happy if the authorities employed them even as labourers .

“We do not care much about the wages. What we desperately want is a change from this perpetually monotonous life. The government can employ us in construction or even in cleaning work. But only a very few have got that opportunity at the moment,” Naguleswaran opined.

An NGO representative understanding the sense of frustration among the youth in the IDP camps said it will be of immense help if the authorities draw up a plan to employ them in some kind of employment under the supervision of the Army so that they will be occupied .

“These Tamil youths will never take up arms for sure. All must accept that the entire re-settlement process is a tricky business and government must act tactfully as the problem is very sensitive., The government needs to seek the avenues to expedite the de-mining and resettlement process. not because the NGOs or the International Community want. I think there is room for further expansion and improvement in the de-mining and re-settlement activities,” he said on condition of anonymity.

Another negative development at the IDP camps was the highly unhygienic conditions, due to the existing bad weather. Though the heavy clouds of dust familiar with the camp environment had been settled, the muddy roads, soggy grounds and paths in and out of the huts and dirt filled drains created a sorry picture of the camps.

The scenes of Tamil youths in large groups hanging around near boutiques, health centres and water holes were common at the IDP camps. But it was a relief to note that they did not show any confrontational sentiment or quarrelsome attitude at all, even under this situation. Another phenomenon was that the desperation was mainly rampant only among the male youth.

Dr. Damayanthi Perera, Pediatrician who has been serving at the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital prior to her secondment to Chettikulum said there was a severe shortage of pediatricians and she had to work at the IDP camps more that 10 hours a day serving sick children.

“I need a minimum of three more pediatricians as the number of children with typhoid, dysentery, chicken pox, and skin diseases seeking medical care are increasing rapidly. Diseases have not developed into epidemic proportions but are on the rise alarmingly. The health sector must take note of the impending danger and must act fast,” she stressed.

She said the incidence of pregnancy among women has increased sharply.

“Almost all married women in the productive range are pregnant. We are concerned on their nutritional condition as a big majority of children under 15 and women of all ages are malnourished and anaemic,” she said.

The Ministry of Health with the assistance of the WHO, UNICEF, Medicines Sans Frontiers and UNHCR has initiated a series of health programs to maintain health services to a satisfactory level at IDP camps and to improve the nutritional level of children and expectant mothers.

Chief Zonal Health Coordinator in charge of six IDP camps in Cheddikulam, Dr. Novil Wijesekara said the Health Ministry has done its utmost to maintain health facilities at the six zones in Cheddikulam catering to approximately 2,12,000 IDPs with limitedresources.

“We have 17 Public Health Centres and five Referral Health Centres in six zones from 0 – 5. This is in addition to the Indian Field Hospital, a dozen of mobile clinics and Day Care centres. We maintain Night on Call and Ambulance Services round the clock in all six zones,” he said.

Drinking water is provided in large containers. Water is pumped for several hours a day to the camps both for drinking and washing. However, long queues for water are seen at every zone.

Lack of a proper drainage system was a major problem at every camp. Only a narrow and shallow drain had been cut on the either sides of the dusty roads within the camps . The drains filled with dirt, food leftovers and rubbish make the camps environment highly unhygienic.

One plus factor that I noticed was that IDPs’ effort to grow whatever possible in the surrounding areas of their dwellings. Almost all inmates had grown at least one plant of tomatoes, maize, capsicum, vegetables or green leaves on the tiny plot of land next to their hut.

One other phenomena was that they live as a closely knit family despite their grievances and shortcomings.

It is of utmost importance that the government must act fast to set up a few community centres with reading materials and a couple of play grounds in each zone to enable youth to spend their time meaningfully. A proper counselling system will also do wonders among young inmates as they are of the view that they are a marginalized lot and are being separated from the outside world.

DAILYMIRROR.LK