We met Mr. K. Parameshwaran, a resident of Thirakadavoor, Trincomalee who is a fisherman by tradition, in the midst of the Trincomalee town, while he was on his way to a nadar’s shop with a load of old iron, which seemed unsustainable for his bicycle. He stated that he had to buy books and school materials for his children for the new school term and that in order to find some money for this, he had collected pieces of old iron lying around his yard and that he was going thus, to sell it. His statement, exposed a side view of the lamentable situation the fishermen of Trincomalee have to face at present.

“We are not people who have lived like this… fisher folk are those who eat and drink and dress properly and live enjoying life… however, now, quite apart from enjoying life, we are not wealthy enough, even to buy the kids the books they need. With the war, the sea access was restricted for us. We waited patiently for two years hoping that the war will end…. in those days, we ate and drank and clothed ourselves by pawning the gold jewelry belonging to our women folk and the children. Now, thank god, there is no war in the Eastern province…. but the restrictions and bans on our profession remain the same.

We cannot go to sea at the times the Navy want us to and do our job. We need to go to sea at the time there are fish around. We request the government and the Minister of Fisheries to actually come to Trincomalee to inquire about our problems, unlike during the times of elections when their coming is a mockery.” Mr. Parameshwaran stated to us.

The majority who live in the Trincomalee district are fisher folk and until recently they were the beneficiaries of an easy going life, thanks to the bountiful resource of fish along the Trincomalee coastline. Their children and their children’s children take up the fishing job which is inherited from their fathers, proving that fisher folk are not a burden to the government. However, with the war situation in the past, the restrictions that were put in place against the fishing profession have not been lifted as yet and fishermen of the area are in a dire situation. Many of the fishermen have abandoned their usual fishing profession and are involved in daily labourers’ work.

The Eastern Provincial Council Elections which came to Trincomalee after about 20 years was a source of delight to the people as members of Parliament and Ministers they had never before seen, poured into their areas making an effort to solve their problems. Here, present Fisheries Minister Felix Perera and Deputy Minister Neomal Perera take pride of place.

It is no secret that to the people of the area that, during the past Provincial Council elections in Trincomalee, the government had appointed these two Ministers to address the majority of the fishing community. During this time, most of the fisher folk requested the two Ministers to provide them with the opportunity of going to sea at 2 in the morning.

Justice of the Peace Mr. Leelasena Galapaththi, the chairman of the Haaradaas Watte Fishermen’s Association and a long standing fisherman of Trincomalee, revealing the details regarding this issue, stated as follows.

“We are allowed to go for our profession only at 4am… by the time we go to the Point and go through checks and hand over our passes and go to sea it is around four thirty, four forty five am….. it is during the early morning hours that we can catch fish….. after six o’clock the fish do not bite…. the officers of the Navy do not understand this story. That is why we got the Ministers to convey this to the security forces… We respect the protection of the country two hundred percent…we help out.. but we too have to make a living…. our kids have to eat and drink…. we do not have any other job where we can make a living….” Mr. Leelasena Galapaththi stated.

According to Mr. Leelasena Galapaththi, during the time of the past Provincial Council elections, the Minister of Fisheries Felix Perera and Deputy Minister Neomal Perera came to an agreement with the Navy, following a discussion held at the China Harbour, Codbay, Fisheries Corporation to thrash out the problems that the fisher folk face, with regard to going to sea, and permission had been granted to the fishermen to go to sea at 2 in the morning. Although it was, purely a decision given with the aim of targeting future Provincial Elections it resulted in the happiness of fisher folk of the area. At the same time, the fishermen, had stated their willingness not to go to sea on the days that the ships of the Navy were sailing.

“We actually know that these restrictions have been placed on us due to the security situation… but allowing us to go to sea at 2am is not that much of a task.. because there are Navy Points on the beach. There we leave our Identity Cards and then go to sea…. on our return too, we go straight to the Point…. If we are allowed to go to sea at 2am, we can at least get on with our job at least by two thirty, after the checks and obtaining of passes… if we are allowed to do our job for three hours, we do not want anything more…. we will avoid going to sea on the days that the ships of the Navy are sailing. That is because, more than our stomach, the security of the country is of importance.” Mr. S. Kalirasa, a resident of Thirakadavoor states.

It is the Navy who makes the decisions regarding the time period for the fishermen and the area and distance they can work in. It is no surprise that there are certain conflicts between the fishermen and the Navy. The reason being, that the Navy is unaware of the nature of the fishermen’s job and the fishermen are unaware of the nature of the Navy’s job. Whatever said and done, although the present Minister of Fisheries, Mr. Felix Perera had several rounds of discussions with the Navy and the fishermen during the time of the past Provincial Council elections and reached certain agreements, the fishermen of the area point out that in implementing these, various problems crop up.

“The officials who attend the discussion, state in the presence of the Minister that they will do this, according to that…. but the gentlemen at the Navy Point on the beach tell us that they have not received any such order… so, we turn back and go home. Four days before the past Provincial Councils elections were held, we received permission to go to sea at two in the morning… we were very happy about it… However, on the day of the elections, a Navy vessel that was anchored at the harbour within the high security zone, exploded… the very next day the ban was imposed again.. the government won the election… the ministers and members of Parliament went back to Colombo…. we are in the same position as we were.” Thus states a fisherman, a resident of Sirimapura who was against having his identity revealed. He further stated, that many of the fishermen have queries regarding the explosion of the vessel. The reason being that, this vessel which was anchored in the high security zone was attacked by the Tiger organization, which was not an easy task.

Anyhow, the following day, that is on 09^th May 2008, the Tiger Organization accepted the fact officially, that they had attacked the vessel, via their Tamilnet website (www.tamilnet.com/art.htmi?13&artid = 25590) where they stated that their Black Tigers attacked the A520 vessel belonging to the Navy and destroyed it. If they had not accepted the fact, it would not have been possible to set aside the accusation that the Government and the Navy exploded this vessel on purpose and as a signal, once again imposed the restrictions and bans on fishing.

“The time has arrived when we can catch Tuna… this is a period that fishermen can earn a lot of money… We go to Nilaveli, Paramalai and catch the bait and then go to fish for Tuna…. the bait, namely, inguro and dhaamesso which the Tuna eat, are in the area called Paramalai. But now we are not allowed to go to Paramalai….. we kindly, request the Government and the Navy to remove this ban…” thus, states Mr. Ananda Moorthy, a resident of Thirakadavoor.

By this time, the electricity and water supply to many of the fishermen’s houses in the Trincomalee area, have been disconnected and all their jewelry has already been pawned to banks. They pawned their jewelry at the banks, in the hope that, they could redeem the jewelry through the income they earn by selling the Tuna they catch. Their innocent hopes have died at birth itself.

“Our houses got caught to the Tsunami and were destroyed… we did not fall because of that…. because we knew that during the Tuna season, our husbands’ boats are full to the brim with the Tuna catch… but now there is no opportunity to catch the Tuna, quite apart from the fact that we cannot even fish for the bait. Our jewelry is now owned by the banks….. the electricity has been disconnected in our houses…what is left is our lives..,” thus, states, Mrs. Selvarasa Janaarthan, the wife of Mr. Selvarasa, a fisherman resident in the Haaradaas Watte in Trincomalee.

“My husband was a fish merchant earlier. However, this time, books for the children were bought by pawning at the Bank, the two bangles which remained at home…. it is more than two years since we lost our livelihood. During the riots and problems, similar to the other Tamils, we sold the boat engines we had and went to India…. once the problems subsided we came back. Only we know, how we eat and drink. I make stringhoppers and sell them and that is how I find the money to run the home…” says, Lakshmidevi, a resident of Thirakadavoor.

Mr. E.A.G. Premajayantha, a fisherman, resident at Sirimapura, points out that, they have to face a lot of difficulty to obtain the Fisheries Identity Card. According to him, the procedure that was followed earlier on, when issuing the Fisheries Licenses has now changed completely.

“Earlier, once a recommendation was given by the Fisheries Association, the Grama Seva Officer of the area certifies it and hands it over to the Fisheries office….. but now it is different. What is recommended by the Fisheries Association has to be certified by a Justice of the Peace, and then by the Grama Seva Officer and the Police and then finally certified by the Fisheries office and then only be taken to the Navy….this is not easy… especially for Tamil people. At the same time, only a few Sinhala fishermen are able to go to the Codbay Fisheries office… the reason being that there is a Navy camp set up there… others get their work done through these people, by paying them something…. some people have made this into a source of income…. the fishermen have become more helpless due to this….” he said.

Although the inner harbour coastal belt of Trincomalee is home to a good resource of fish, during the past, the Navy, banned the coastal belt to the fishermen and erected barbed wire. Mr. Edwin Appuhamy, who is a traditional drag-net fisherman of the Chinabay, Codbay area, says that this decision is unreasonable.

“My entire family lived from this drag-net. I do not know any other profession… I work with the drag-net in the lagoon area but not where there are vessels in the harbour. The other thing is that the drag-net, is hoisted in from land…. the Navy point is located at the same place… we come to the beach after presenting our Identity Cards…. we mentioned this to the Minister during the election time….. he said he will consider it… he never came this side, after the elections..”

At the discussions, which were headed by the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province, Mr. Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, and held at the auditorium of the Provincial Council, on the Inner Harbour road, Trincomalee recently, to discuss the problems of the fishermen the Commander in charge of the naval East area Rear Admiral Ananda Pieris stated that, these restrictions and bans are imposed not to harass the fishermen but for national security.

“We are aware of the fact that fishermen are suffering untold difficulties because of this… At this time, supplies for the operations being conducted in the North are being sent by sea. As a result we are forced to act like this. Anyhow we are making arrangements to solve these problems through discussions. There is no conducive situation as yet, so that fishermen can go to sea at two in the morning. I have given instructions, that the checks on fishermen should be done speedily and to send them off to their job.

Anyhow, I believe that we will be able to change this situation entirely, in a very short time…. If the fishermen have any queries, they can talk to us directly through, the Fisheries Societies…. if it is something that can be done, we will definitely do it…. This is not a situation that will remain the same forever. Due to the prevailing situation, there is no possibility of carrying on the fishing profession in the inner harbour… I have clearly explained to the fishermen about this… we have designated that area as a high security zone for the protection of the harbour…”

Mr. Roshan Manjula, the Chairman of the Thirakadavoor, Vipulananda Fishing Society:

“At present we have been given permission to fish in the deep sea area of 5 kilometers between the Koneshwaran square and Pulmoddai. However fish are present in this belt, only during six months of the year. Subsequently, we have to fish between the Koneshwaran square and Lankapatuna until the fish breed in that belt…. however in that belt, that is in the lower sea (Ruhunu Sea) we do not have permission to fish. Nevertheless, fishing is allowed in unprotected areas, not only in Valachchanei, Batticaloa, and Amparai but in Jaffna as well. We request the Government to give us the opportunity to fish in the Ruhunu Sea, subject to the conditions of the Navy.

We have never spoken up against the reasonable conditions which the security forces impose on us on behalf of national security…. it will be the same tomorrow as well… that is because we live in freedom, thanks to the security forces.”

Fishing boat owners in the area are facing hardships due to the fact that Radio Messaging equipment has been made compulsory on single-day vessels. They say that they cannot bear the cost of the equipment since it costs around two lakhs of rupees.

However, what the Navy say in connection with this, is that if a boat owner can spend ten lakhs of rupees to buy a boat, there ought to be no difficulty in purchasing this equipment for two lakhs of rupees.

“We do not purchase a boat because we have cash in hand…. we get a loan from the bank.. we take loans on interest… the other thing is that, these boats are not what we purchased recently. If we could have carried out our job during the past, the two lakhs of rupees would not have been that much for us… But now, these two lakhs seems as if it is over a million rupees,” says, Mr. Ananda, a fisherman, an owner of a single-day vessel, a resident of Samudragama, Trincomalee.

We inquired about this from Provincial Councilor Mrs. Ariyawathie Galapaththi, as she was elected to the Provincial Council as a representative of the fishing community of the area. At the same time she is also in the fisheries business. She says, that the Government will make arrangements to lift this fishing ban as soon as the Mullaitivu area has been liberated.

“The Mullaitivu area has not yet been liberated from the clutches of the terrorists. Therefore the risk has not lessened in any way. I believe that before long, when the Mullaitivu area is liberated by the security forces, the Government will grant permission to the Fishermen of Trincomalee to go to sea at any time of the day.

We realize that it is difficult to purchase, Radio Messaging Equipment for single-day vessels, in a hurry… At this point of time we have discussed with the banks about this matter, to provide the single-day vessel owners with a loan… I believe that in the coming weeks it will be possible to obtain these loans…,” said, Provincial Council Member Mrs. Ariyawathie Galapaththi.

This is the second year since the brave security forces liberated the East. However, the benefits of liberating the Eastern province, have not yet reached the fishing folk of the Gokanna Purawaraya. It seems as if the fishing folk who had to tighten their belts until the war ended have to spend their time in a wretched state in the future, much the same as during the war. The Ministers who visited the place continuously during the Provincial Council election time are not even to be seen now. The only Minister who comes, at least once in a way is Minister of Nation Building Mr. Susantha Punchinilame. However he does not have any knowledge of the problems of the fishermen. The fishing community who have fallen to the bottom of poverty due to the fishing bans, request the government to inform them clearly, only, of the day that their misery will end.

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Sanitary workers of the Hambantota Municipal Council were resettled in Samodagama GN Division in the Hambantota DS Division several years ago. Today Samodagama is now home to 62 families, out of which 95 percent are Tamil and are mainly Tamil speakers.

Most of these people are brick workers, whilst others work for a daily wage, while still others are forced to beg in order to scrape together a daily income. At present, eight families work at the Municipal Council as sanitary workers and two families work for the salt industry.

These people battle a hoard of social and economical problems. As a result, they are unable to send their children to school even though the children are of a school–going age. Instead, these children are used for anti–social activities, as there is no encouragement from parents to attend school.

This is due to one or more reasons, including the lack of clothes, shoes, books, school bags, and food, amongst others. Some children are sent off to work to earn a wage for their family.

Job opportunities within the village are minimal and people are compelled to travel outside the village in search of work.

Some of these families are even deprived of a daily meal, whilst some others do not have clothes on their backs.

Unemployment in the area has rendered people distraught and helpless. In all eagerness, some have expressed their willingness to undergo training in the fibre industry, the coir industry, and home gardening.

The people grapple with numerous infrastructure problems, such as the lack of electricity facilities, poor road conditions, insufficient water supply, and lack of shelter. The villagers of Samodagama Rajapaksha Mawatha share one tap among 26 families. In addition, there are 14 families without toilet facilities and families are forced to forego sanitary practices.

To add to the misery, they run the risk of not having a healthy environment to live in, as a result of deforestation and floods. During the past three months, the area was flooded thrice due to heavy rains. With many houses submerged, the people were driven from their homes with no place to live.

Besides floods, some of the houses are not in any suitable state to live in as they are damaged. The majority of the houses are temporary and even lack basic protection. Some people use their homes as their kitchen by day and bedroom by night, with upto two to three families living in one claustrophobic space they call home, eight by ten feet in size.

Some other common issues that these people face are the lack of National Identification Cards (38 families), Certificates of Birth (34 families), Certificates of Marriage (nine families), and ‘Samurdhi’ (28 families). Additionally, there are 13 children who do not attend school.

People in Samodagama still live with a ray of hope that they will have a place to call home someday. To date, their dreams have been confined to mere dreams. Their problems are in abundance and solutions non–existent and out of sight. Will their dreams just continue to remain as mere dreams?

Kongaspitiya is located in the Siyambala anduwa area, bordering Ampara, in a place faced by many hardships, in the Moneragala District. The only school, for the village girls and boys to obtain an education, which is situated five miles away from the Bakmitiyawa village in the Kongaspitiya Vidyalaya. This school, where approximately 250 students receive their education, is being maintained in the midst of a number of hardships.

The school does not have a teaching staff, proportionate to the number of students who attend the school. There are no facilities such as roadways, to approach this school in Kongaspitiya. The villagers as well as the students and teachers who come to this school have to travel a distance of 13 kilometers on foot. This journey too is not easy as the path which falls through a jungle and they have to pass marshes and bogs.

In this area which is devoid of at least proper postal facilities, in order to maintain connection with the outside world, the school has to go to Siyambalaanduwa to collect the documents and letters they receive. It is the Principal of the school who has to travel to Siyambalaanduwa for this task.

There is only a well, which holds polluted water, for the students to quench their thirst. It is known that most of the children who drink the water from this well, have fallen victim to various diseases.

Even amidst the lack of facilities, resources and difficulties, the students of this school are keen on studying. The teachers who teach in this school, too, do their best to impart their knowledge to the best of their abilities. However, they are not fortunate enough to learn English and Science subjects, and even at present, no Science and Mathematics teachers have been appointed to the Kongaspitiya Vidyalaya.

To the residents of this area, who are chena farmers, are unable to send their children to other schools or for tuition classes for their education.

Girls and boys who study at this school, say that no officials from Education Offices have ever visited the school.

The classes these children study in are also in a dilapidated, state. Many of the classes are conducted within huts which have roofs thatched with cadjan and look like cattle sheds constructed of wattle and daub.

The parents of the children who attend this school say that, as this school is situated in a very remote area, where there are a lot of hardships, the teachers who do come to the school leave after a few days.

The villagers say that, at least, if there was a bus that ran from Siyambalaanduwa to Kongaspitiya it would provide a solution to a great extent.

A student of Kongaspitiya Vidyalaya, studying in Grade 10, Swarna Kusum Ranatunga says, “if we could have transport facilities by way of a bus to our village at least, many of our problems would be solved.”

The problem is further aggravated by the fact that the road is in such a dilapidated state, that quite apart from travelling in a vehicle, it is difficult to even walk on the road.

Information from the economic centres has revealed that about 365 tons of vegetables and fruits, produced by the Rajarata farmers are discarded as waste at Thambuththegama. The Government as well as the private sector is now searching for solutions to minimize the wastage.

The Thambuththegama Economic Center was opened in 2005 due to the untold miseries faced by the Mahaweli farmers at the Dambulla Economic Center. It was managed by the Trade and Marketing Development Ministry.

There were instances where the farmers who took their vegetables to Dambulla, had to sell their produce for such low prices, that they were unable to even cover their transport costs. The Thambuththegama Center in the Mahaweli H Zone is an alternative which enables the farmers to acquire some relief from this tragic destiny.

The officer in charge of this centre, H. M. Thushara, said as a result of the transport costs decreasing to a large extent and the reduction of the wastage while transporting and also maintaining steady prices similar to those at Dambulla, the supply of vegetables to the Thambuththegama Center has increased greatly.

Around 12,000 vehicles enter the center, in order to do business. In the beginning, an amount close to 30,000kg of agri-produce was handled during a day of business and now that has gone up to about 700, 000 presently.

However, the centre points out that, during every step of transport, preparation and packaging, vegetables are subject to bruising and spoilage and as a result the amount that goes to waste has also increased greatly. Manager, Mr. H.M. Thushara says, that as they do not have any guidance regarding the choice of crops which are in demand, it is a very serious problem for the farmers. He also said “During the last harvesting season, the price of a kilo of marrows rose to Rs. 35. The farmers cultivated a large amount of marrows during the next season. The result was that, the price of a kilo dropped to, as low as Rs 4 and 5 so much so, that the marrows could not be sold. They do not have any guidance. They come to us to inquire about pesticides when their crops become disease ridden, as they have no one to ask. That does not concern us. Finally they buy whatever pesticides the shops recommend.”

Vendors say that, many of the farmers, do not have the proper knowledge, attitude or a system in order to reduce the amount of wastage until they bring the produce to the market.

Initially, the private sector introduced plastic boxes as a solution for this problem. The Post-Harvest Technology Institute in Anuradhapura, also commenced distribution of plastic boxes at a concessionary rate as a special project. However, instances can be seen where, varieties of vegetables which can get bruised have been packed into gunny bags and loaded onto lorries and people sleep on them during transportation.

Mr. Thushara is of the opinion that, when the private sector supplied boxes for packaging, the quality stocks went to them and the leftovers reached his center.

The centre for collecting agro-produce which is maintained by the Cargills organization at Thambuththegama, pack their vegetables according to the highest standards and give a higher price than the Economic Center. They train the farmers to maintain a high standard from harvesting until they take charge of the produce. They collect private data and data regarding their cultivations from the farmers.

Lakshman Wakishta, the Manager, told us that the objective of their organization is to purchase agro produce direct from the farmers, sans a middleman, at higher prices. The produce that is purchased is distributed among the Cargills Supermarkets.

However, once again the vendors say that, once the better produce has been selected by the Cargills centre and purchased, the rest reaches the Economic center once more.

What happens finally is that the garbage dump at the economic centre keeps rising daily. Now, the Government sector is searching for solutions, for the volume of waste amounting to 30 tons which is collected during a month.

The Chairman of the Post-Harvest Technology Institute, Attorney, H.M. Abeyratne says they are hoping to dry their refuse and make them into blocks for animal feed. The farmers in the Thambuththegama area, take a small amount of this to their pig-pens.

The management of the Economic Center is hoping to reduce the wastage and thereby reduce the collection of garbage through the Department of Agrarian Services and to make use of the waste for some service.

However the first step towards, reducing wastage is to provide the farmers with advice and guidance on crops that are in demand and those which do not go to waste. Nevertheless, the officers of the Economic Center declare that there is no result from this effort, because there are no statistics for any season regarding the cultivable lands of the farmers and the volume that reaches the market and as there is no planning.

As the, “Ministerial Sub-Committee on Food Protection and Cost of Living” via the intervention of the President’s Secretariat office, is directing their attention towards this problem, Manager, Mr. H.M. Thushara says that he intends to submit his issues and problems as well.

Whatever happens, it is the heap of garbage at the Economic Center that keeps increasing. The Government sector is now, searching for solutions for the thirty tons of waste that collects at the Center, monthly.

However, under these circumstances, no satisfactory solution has been found or planned for this wastage and the garbage that remains. There is practicality to a certain extent, visible in the system that the Cargills organisation commenced. Farmers declare their opinions on this, as follows.

“We can call and find out the price before we harvest the vegetables. When we bring them, they are methodically packed into boxes and we are given the money. If the price of a kilo is thirty rupees at the Economic Center, here, we get around 34 or 35. More often than not it is advantageous to us,” said, Mr. H. M. Subharatne, who supplies winged beans to the Cargills Center from Thalakolawewa.

Mr. D.M.S. Dissanayake of Thambuththegama states thus; “From this we can get to know what we should or should not cultivate. We learnt how to work methodically. There is no loss to us. It is not necessary to throw away vegetables, either.”

The tortuous path to knowledge from Gomarankadawala

Mangalanath Liyanaarachchi – Trincomalee

While students in the capital, receive swimming pools, indoor stadiums and computer halls, the children of Trincomalee  where the shadows of terrorists still haunt the area, are asking for books to read.

Although peace reigns in Gomarankadawala where for a long time they lived their lives under the stress, threats and terror of the terrorists their lives have not taken a turn for the better.

While, schools situated in the midst of the city of Trincomalee have more than adequate computer and library facilities, 12 year-old Sadhum Kumara, resident in Gomarankadawala says that he has never actually seen a computer except on television.

“I have seen a computer only on television. But it is more valuable for us than a computer, if we can get some books that we can read. The books in our school library are very old. Those books do not suit the current education system,” he says.

Agriculture and farming are the livelihoods of Sadhum Kumara’s parents and the gingelly, millet and  kurakkan which is sown and tended to amidst, droughts, and facing terrorist threats and wild animals, the income of the harvest of which when sold is just enough to help them exist from meal to meal is insufficient to purchase any books.

“Our village is situated about 50 kilometers from Trincomalee. Other villages even if they do not have schools have a proper library at the District Secretariat. However, there are no new books in the library in our village. I travel from here to Horowpathana in Anuradhapura to follow a computer course. The trip costs around two hundred rupees daily, only for bus fare, to travel up and down. Although my parents find it hard to bear such costs, even with difficulty I attend the classes.

There are no books that I can read in connection with this course, in our village library. However, in Anuradhapura, there are more than enough facilities for these things,” said Dayani Karunaratne who is a Grade 11 student of Gomarankadawala Maha Vidyalaya. Dayani’s mother who works in a chena and spends every cent she earns on Dayani, who is fatherless.

Due to the severe shortage of teachers in rural distant areas such as Gomarankadawala, the percentage of students of schools in these locations, who pass the examinations is very low. The shortage of teachers which is prevalent throughout the year is most often remedied close to the date of an examination.

“What we actually have in our schools is a dire shortage of teachers. Last year a permanent Mathematics teacher was appointed only during the last few months. If, at least we have a few books with past papers – questions and answers, we could get together and study and discuss them. We do not even have a newspaper vendor in our village. If we want to buy a newspaper we have to travel to Horowpathana which is about 30 kilometers away. If there are at least a few such books in the library we will be able to overcome this dearth,” said Kumudini Ruwan Mala of Gomarankadawala.

Most female students give up their education after year nine or ten and enter into marriage. The marriages of these girls, at very young ages end don’t last long leaving them as single mothers of a number of young children.

The male students  scrape through year ten or the ordinary level class and finish their education and either join the civil protection force or take to work in chenas and fields. If not they become soldiers. Those who have moved further than that are very few in number.

One foreign Non Governmental Organization who is active in this country, has listened to the cry of these innocent students and has taken steps to provide books. In response to these children’s compassionate request, the NGO from Italy initiated a mobile library for these students. However, Prashad Pararajasingham, the local coordinator of this organization says that it is not sufficient to overcome all the shortages.

“We give each person, one book for a period of one week. If it is a novel there is no problem. However, it is difficult to read a book on an educational subject and grasp facts in one week. We feel compassion when we see how some of the children gaze at the books in anticipation, when we bring them and ask them to choose one of the books. If there is any possibility to provide these children with a permanent library and computer training center it will be of immense value. We have informed the higher authorities of our organization about this. But it is difficult to say whether it can be achieved or not.”

“Our schools receive text books, after three quarters of the year has passed. That too, not in required quantities. Everything we know is from books. We do not know what happens or takes place beyond that. Recently, for an examination we had to write and essay on a trip to the zoo. We have read about the zoo from books and papers only. Or else through the television. Most of the children in our school, have only heard of the animals in the zoo. They have never been to the zoo. Since I could not write about things I did not know I omitted answering that question,” said Niluka Dilhani.

“Many Non Governmental Organizations and institutions come to our village and spend hundred of thousands of rupees on useless things. What I am telling them is that, they should buy some books for our schools and the libraries in the village with that money they spend. Take us on educational trips to the zoo, Sigiriya, the planetarium which we have never seen.”

Residents of Linga Nagar face a dire situation where land they’ve lived on is now being claimed by the government to set up an Army training camp

Mangalanath Liyanaarachchi – Trincomalee

For the people of Linga Nagar in Trincomalee the word justice has no meaning. Having set up homes after being displaced, the land which they occupied for over 18 years cannot be claimed as there own.

Despite a decree being passed by the judiciary which awarded these people ownership this has not been taken into consideration by the government.

” I often visit my friends at their homes. However I have never invited them to my home. Just consider, bringing a friend, without feeling ashamed, into this house which is merely a hut, where when you enter you can see the sky through the roof…” Sammugarasa Mekhala, a resident of Linga Nagar said of her wattle and daub house which has a roof covered with plastic sheets.

Mekhala is an advanced level student at a leading girls’ school in Trincomalee.

These people who lost their homes due to the war and remained in camps were eventually resettled into in a remote, jungle area in Linga Nagar in 1994 through the initiatives taken by the then Minister of Social Welfare and Vocational Training, Douglas Devananda and the EPDP organization.

 Although this land was a jungle area then, it is now partially urbanised as of now; however, government officers have still to award ownership of land to the people.

“When we were in the refugee camps, the EPDP organization came and asked us whether we would leave the camps if they gave us land from Linga Nagar. Since we could not stay in these camps with these small children on a permanent basis we agreed.”

When we arrived in Linga Nagar this area was a vast jungle. We cleared the jungle, cut through the hills and built these few houses. We lived here for about two years and then the Army came and told us that this land belonged to the Army and to vacate the lands immediately.

Now we do not have a place to go to. The Army is harassing us, asking us to move. Later we presented this problem to the then, EPDP Parliamentarian, of Jaffna, Chandrakumar. The Member of Parliament, then came and discussed the issue with us as well as the Army and asked us to hand over the lands close to the Army camps, to them. He then said that only the first 48 families who arrived after that would be given 15 perches each, from this area. We agreed to that, and vacated the lands close to the Army camp and came to reside here. Twelve years have gone by since then. The Army does not allow us to bring cadjan to thatch our roofs, leave aside, the deeds for the land,” said Rasaiah Sammugarasa a resident of Linga Nagar.

The EPDP organization has resettled these people here for political gain, but the security forces say that this land has been used from the times of the reign of the British, by the Army to conduct their training and detonations.

The Army occupied a small camp there a while back but they moved the camp, from this place temporarily. The Security Forces are of the opinion that, Minister Douglas Devananda, with or without the knowledge of the people, has resettled them on a land that lawfully belongs to the Army.

“On September 20, 1996, General Parami Kulatunga, put up an Army camp in Linga Nagar. We were asked to remain on the lands we had settled in. They said they will survey the lands and allocate them to us. In January 1997,  the then District Secretary of Trincomalee, Velu Mailum filed a case in the Courts, stating we were illegally occupying land which belonged to the state and to evict us. That Court case was adjudicated until 2002 and finally the Magistrate decreed that, these people could not be evicted like unless they were provided with alternative lands.” Rasaiah Sammugarasa, said.

The Army officers who turned their attention to the plight of the residents of Linga Nagar with compassion, agreed to provide them with a 15 acre land and the Army informed the judiciary of their decision.

M. Ramachandran, a resident of Linga Nagar, is a leading respondent of this case of injustice where the land is concerned. According to him, the objections against this land which was provided willingly by the Army are coming from government officials.

“The Army personnel know that even though we are on land that doesn’t belong to us that we are innocent people. We never faced any problem from them. Neither did we ever pose a problem to them. Nevertheless, a person came from the Army and surveyed a land of 15 Acres and informed us that the 54 families who were resident before  June 1, 1995 would first be provided with land and then the rest. These surveyed lands were handed over to the District Secretariat by the Army. That was done so that we would be allotted 15 perches each.

The Court Case No. 7342/02 filed in the judiciary in 2006, in order to solve this problem of illegal lands, by the state and the Army, was settled on June 30, 2004 on the promise that the Army would provide these people with a 15 acre land willingly.

Although these residents made requests to act in accordance with the judgement issued by the Trincomalee Magistrates Court, Mr. Ramachandran said, she repeatedly asked them to consult the Government Agent with regard to this matter.

“We told the District Secretary that we do not need to discuss this issue with the Government Agent because the Army is willing to hand over the lands and as the case was settled. But she does not take any notice of this…”

Since Government officers have not acted upon the judgement of the Magistrates Court, they presented this issue to the Commission of Human Rights. According to the Linga Nagar residents, although the District Secretary has been asked to present herself at the Commission of Human Rights in order to inquire into this matter she has not done so. We made an inquiry regarding this issue, from the then, Trincomalee, Commission of Human Rights branch, officer in charge who handled matters there. At this juncture, she mentioned that although their institution had dealt with this problem that it had come to a standstill.

We inquired from the District Secretary regarding this issue. It was reported that a vast number of names had been added illegally to the land owners list and consequently when the list was displayed for the public, there had been several objections. As a result, until that issue was settled, the issuing of permits for the land was suspended.

Mohan Kushanthan – Linga Nagar

“We have now, waited fourteen years to get the permits for the lands. If the Government is not taking into consideration the decree issued by the judiciary, then what else can we do? We cannot get electricity or water. We do not at least, have a permanent address. When we want to enter a child into a school, they ask for permanent residency details or electricity or water bills. We have done everything we can do.

It is a lie that others are objecting to giving us the lands. Some people who used to live by the sea before the Tsunami came to reside in this area where our lands are. We objected to that. Now, there is no such problem. No one is objecting to the 54 families being given the lands according to the decision of the judiciary. The government is carrying on a farce.”

Mrs. Fareena Sivapalan – Linga Nagar

“We still live in the huts that were built in 1994. As we are illegal residents we do not have any rights at all. The Army does not permit us to bring timber or a rafter in order to build ourselves a house. Even if a relative visits, we cannot ask them to stay the night. We cannot take a camera to our houses, even to photograph a child’s birthday. What is this life? ” Mrs. Fareena Sivapalan asks.

Even media personnel were requested to leave all equipment at the border check point to the entrance of the village.

As a result photographs from mobile phone cameras which afford very few facilities were used to photograph the people of Linga Nagar.

Mrs. Vignesharasa Pushpalatha – Linga Nagar

“Our husbands and sons cannot intervene since we have to deal with the Government and the Army in asking for the lands. It is, as if we are banging our heads against a rock. If the males protest, they are branded as terrorists.”

“We are forced to live like prisoners. We have to go to our houses after being checked. We have to go out after being checked. The houses are on the verge of collapse. However we do not have permission to bring in a bag of cement or a rafter. I feel that this is the only village where we cannot take a bag of cement or a rafter,” Ratnasingham Kaushalya says.

S. Mayurini – Linga Nagar

“We too would love to build a nice proper house and live well. However the Government is treating us as if we are from a different land. Whatever the decision of the Courts, a situation has now arisen where we cannot live in freedom even within our houses. We cannot protest since the Government would say that we are Tigers and that we are picketing asking for the Army to be moved out. There is no such issue here. It was Mr. Parami Kulatunga of the Army who asked us to settle down in these lands. Now, why do they treat us like this…If they ask us to go from these lands, give us alternative lands…… or just kill us.”

We inquired from the Trincomalee District Secretary regarding the deferment by the Government in connection with the problem of the illegal residents of Linga Nagar. Her comments are as follows

“Although the Army promised to hand over 15 acres to the illegal residents, at the Courts, this land belongs to the Government. The Army is a Government organization. This has to be approved by the Government Lands Commissioner. But we were prepared to provide lands, not only to 54 families but 98 families in accordance with the decision of the Courts. Then another group of people from Linga Nagar objected to lands being given to these people. What they said was, if we were going to give lands, then to give everyone and if not, not to do so for everybody. As a result this issue has been dragging on. Now, the Army is saying that they need this land for an Army Training Camp.

The Army has informed the Government Agent in writing. That is why I told them to inquire from the Government Agent. It is because I, was not the one who received that letter. However, we have informed the Area  Lands Commissioner in writing to make a decision immediately, as there is a decree from the Courts, ordering us to provide 54 families with lands. We will act in the future, in accordance with the decision he makes,” she said.

Although, according to the District Secretary, ninety eight names have been recommended for land to be allotted,  consistent with the list of names, issued by the Courts on October 17, 2006, File No. 2/4/2/Reg./166 and displayed by the District Secretariat Office only 54 names are included. It is now of concern, who will enter the remaining forty eight names and who will be in possession of the list of names.

“We of course are unaware of a list of 98 names. We only have the list with 54 names on it,” Mohan Kushanthan says.

Mangalanath Liyanaarachchi

Siri  Hettige

Professor of Sociology

University of Colombo

Education is recognized the world over as a means of achieving wider social and economic objectives. Modern education systems are designed in such a way as to facilitate the achievement of such wider objectives.  On the one hand, we provide  youngsters with a basic education that enables them to fit into a society that is based on modern ideas and values so that they eventually become active citizens of a modern state. It is also in the context of general education that some of the traditional divisions in society are relegated to the background making it possible for young members of society to forge bonds that transcend their primordial identities.

On the other hand, education is also widely accepted in modern societies as a means of imparting knowledge and skills that are vital for social and economic development. Such knowledge and skills can range from very basic social skills to sophisticated scientific knowledge needed to address complex problems at different levels in diverse spheres.

In order for the education system to play the two vital functions mentioned above, education planners and policy makers have to develop and manage educational institutions on a rational basis. In other words, they have to ask the question whether our institutions are operating in such a way as to help us to achieve these objectives. This question pertains to both the education system as a whole as well as to its constituent parts at different levels.

When the education system does not function in a desirable manner it gives rise to various problems that have implications beyond the education system. This does not mean that the problems emanating from the education system can be dealt within the confines of the education system itself. 

When we examine the country’s education system today, it is doubtful whether it fulfills the expectations in many of the areas mentioned earlier. The dominant tendency within the system continues to be to provide educational certificates to youth. Overwhelming pre-occupation is with examinations at the expense of skill development and citizenship education.

The result is that many students continue to move up the educational ladder without necessarily acquiring the diverse skills mentioned above. For instance, the ability to use a language in an effective manner is not always found among those who have reached higher levels of educational attainment.

It is also common knowledge that many educated youth do not have much needed social skills. These skills are required in our daily lives whether at a work place or in a community setting or even in a household.  Inter-personal communication, leadership and negotiating skills, public relations, decision making skills etc. come to our mind in this regard. There are also more specific skills that are needed in many work situations.

Even a manual labourer working in the construction sector can benefit from the kind of training he or she has received from a general education, provided that the school system is equipped with the resources needed to provide the desired skills.  

As regard citizenship, general education system should provide opportunities for children and youth to interact, exchange ideas and learn about each other across primordial divisions of caste, religion and ethnicity. On the other hand, this could happen only when there is a common language of communication. Many people used English as a link language in the past. Those who were upwardly mobile then had to learn English in order to get into newly established bureaucracies and modern professions such as law and medicine.

The repeal of English as the official language and the introduction of swabhasha education in schools and universities after independence resulted in a gradual abandoning of English as a second language. As a result, most of the educated youth in the country became monolingual. This was particularly so at lower levels of the social hierarchy where children had no opportunities to learn English outside the education system. The general education system became segregated on ethno-linguistic lines. This situation prevented children and youth belonging to different ethno-linguistic communities from interacting across community boundaries. While they continued to form their own separate identities, little or no opportunities were available for inter-cultural learning and the formation of a broader national identity, a pre-condition for national integration. The country’s ethnic problem has become almost intractable at least partly due to the wide gap between ethnic communities created by the language barrier.

Swabasha education was introduced with good intentions. Learning in the mother tongue was widely accepted as the most desirable option for children in the formative years. Learning in a foreign language can lead to alienation of children from their own culture, society and history. Yet, the educationists at the time felt that it was necessary to translate material available in other languages into local languages. Hence, the decision to establish the Educational Publications Department under the Ministry of Education.

Though some important publications were translated into local languages in the initial years, not more than a fraction of the vast body of literature became available in local languages. The situation has become worse in recent years due to the fact that the translation of books into Sinhala and Tamil became almost impossible for want of competent translators and financial resources. Today, most of the books available in our university libraries are in English but most of our students can hardly read them!

If the students cannot read the books available in the libraries, how can they acquire new knowledge? The inability to use a second language is a major handicap for most students in schools as well as in the universities. The knowledge of a second language among the country’s youth is so low that even many English teachers are not competent to teach the language. Unable to read original texts, most students are almost totally dependent on rote learning and a few publications available in local languages. How can such students excel in their studies and reach a high level of academic achievement?

We are living at a time when economic and social development in the country demands highly competent professionals and skilled human resources. The fast expanding service industries and technology based production requires people with the ability to learn new skills rapidly. Access to information and knowledge available on the internet depends largely on language skills. Have we been able to equip our younger generation with such language skills? In spite of repeated appeals, I made to authorities, to address this issue without further delay, our leaders and educational authorities continue to be silent on the issue. While it is urgent to develop and implement an effective national action plan with the support of donors and others, the authorities seem to be preoccupied with trivial procedural issues like school admissions and distribution of computers to schools, both of which can he easily delegated to officials in the ministry.  

People in this country remember some of the past leaders who had a vision and the capacity to address critical issues. Others have just come and gone. The country’s education system is beset with a number of serious structural problems. The language issue is one. Another is the ‘persisting diploma disease’ that prevents children from acquiring much needed skills and basic competencies.

These problems have far reaching consequences beyond the education system. It is unfortunate that we do not have leaders in the country who are capable of comprehending the complexity of the issues and the need to resolve them in a reasonable manner, within a reasonable period of time.