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A woman soldier helps a Tamil civilian carry her luggage, as she and her companion (back) cross the final frontier post to enter rebel-held territory in Omanthai, 22 February 2002. Sri Lanka’s cohabitation government entered 22 February into a Norwegian-backed formal truce with Tamil Tiger rebels in a historic move to end decades of ethnic bloodshed that has killed over 60,000 people. AFP

In his visit to Omanthai last security check point, when Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was shown the white flag on the no man's land on the border between the Government controlled area and the LTTE held area, he said he could see nothing except the cameras. The Prime Minister was surrounded by journalists. When the photo photojournalists lowered their cameras for a moment, the Prime Minister would have seen the flag in the middle of the no man's area, and the first LTTE check point at the end of the no man's land.

Omanthai security point on the A-9 Jaffna-Kandy highway is one among two available legal entrances to the Government controlled area from the land on the other side of that white flag. The other entry point is situated at Uyilankulam on the Mannar-Vavuniya Road.

Vavuniya-Madhu Road where earlier the Piramanalankulam security check point was - the then sole entrance to the Vanni - has been closed with the opening of Jaffna-Kandy road and Mannar-Poonerin Road. And security officers and the Red Cross volunteers who once were stationed in Piramanalankulam have moved to omanthai which now plays the role of a frontier post once played by the Piramanalankulam entry point. Most people who cross the border have one destination: Vavuniya where they go for shopping for a few luxury items like a motor bike, bicycle, furniture, electric equipments etc. Or they are visiting relatives in the Government controlled area.

Those who visit Vavuniya must receive a pass from the LTTE and then from the Army at the Omanthai barrier. If the person is going out of Vavuniya, he has to have a special pass from the Vavuniya Kachcheri.

The lifting of economic embargoes since January 15 have eased the grievances of the population, but the humanitarian workers in Vavuniya say that it will take at least three months for the situation to normalize.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe answering journalists after handing over the letter of confirmation to the proposed MoU at the Vavuniya district secretariat raised hope that rice can be transported from Kilinochchi to the South in the coming season. But according to the humanitarian workers on the other side of the border there is a lot to be done before the full benefits of the MoU are to be received.

An accelerated infrastructure development project and social welfare program funded on the priority basis is the most essential for a durable peace, a Red Cross volunteer commented.

Vavuniya - Except a few military officers who are present Vavuniya has nothing special which gives it an impression of a city close to hard fought battle ground. You can see the children going to school in the early morning, girls cycling for tuition classes, cinemas which open till 10 pm or midnight shops.

But a few Km from the heart of the city, wounds of the war can be witnessed: refugees. According to the Vavuniya District Secretary K. Ganesh 4,000 families of the internally displaced people now live in the camps in Vavuniya. Most have left their homes when the war reached their villages - like Sana Kanagamani (52) who fled his home in Kilinochchi in 1990 with his six children or like Thilshan who lost parents and moved to Madhu and then to Vavuniya with his grandparents when the war reached Mankulam.

1,500 families from Kilinochchi, 1,000 from Mullativu, 994 from Mannar, 612 from Jaffna and 900 from the uncleared parts of Vavuniya now live in the refugee camps in Vavuniya. At the Poonthoddam refugee camp, over 1000 families live in 9 foot 9 thatched huts.

Most survive on dry rations provided under the World Food Program except those who are lucky enough to find some menial jobs in the town. Each person is to be provided 12.900 Kg of rice, 600g of sugar, 1.5 kg of dall, 150g of salt and one bottle of coconut oil. But the refugees complain that the subsidies have not been provided for three months. According to Ganesh 8,090 internally displaced families have been resettled since 1994 and the number which can be resettled this year depends on the budget allocation.

For most people in the city and its refugee camps and the LTTE held areas bordering it, peace had been a distant dream for years. But, with both warring parties observing unilateral ceasefires and now entering a mutual cessesion of hostilities, people began to feel the comfort of that dream. But as the Norwegian Government said in a statement announcing the truce between the Government and the LTTE the journey to peace will not be easy.

"It will require determination and courage. Parties will face risk and uncertainties and they will have to make hard choices, but no hardship are worse than those of conflict and bloodshed".