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by Neeta S. Ratnapala

We made our way to Trincomalee with mixed feelings. As we passed Habarana, our thoughts tracked back into well over twenty years. The forests on either side of the road looked a little diminished due to the scorching weather and the resulting lack of lustre. The road seemed newly laid and motorable. As we proceeded we saw other vehicles moving towards Trincomalee, our destination, racing each other, to reach the town. Probably all shared the same mixed feelings.

Reaching the town proper we had no difficulty in finding our way to our lodgings as besides the road signals and directions displayed the Sri Lanka Police readily guided us. It was heartening to feel the cordial relations between the Police and the general public. Of course we hesitated in coming to such conclusions till we saw more.

Trinco - as we call it is a historical town. Symbols of colonial rule still exist. The harbour speaks a lot of its history, being the best natural harbour in Asia. We had read unpleasant stories and watched on the small screen how Trinco was threatened and throttled by war. The curse of war is immeasurable, statistically uncountable. Trinco I believe was nearly half dead, breathing heavily under pressure of war. Human lives were lost, destroyed and or abused. Nature itself rebelled against the lack of concern for human lives even animal life and abuse of environment.

It was a great sight to see the ordinary folk moving about without a look of anxiety on their faces. Young lads walking leisurely with their friends and young lasses cycling, on various errands. The young and old I believe sharing one joy - the feeling of a lack of fear of war. We noticed rows and rows of public and private transport reaching the city. A city once deserted, public amenities neglected, and doors shut to expanding trade and enterprise, Result - a drifting population looking for shelter and refugee camps. Presently a change was taking place. Trinco was coming back to life. The deserters were returning to their neglected homes and land with a ray of fresh hope on their faces. The faces spoke a lot for what was taking place.

Some mentioned to us that not so long ago, hardly anyone was on the road after five in the evening, except for the sound of a motor cycle or the sound of a distant shot there was hardly any sound of life, the shop shelves were almost bare. All essential items were beyond the ordinary woman's reach. There was hardly any competition, cultivation was neglected or given up - for their destiny was unpredictable. History will not be so unkind to this capital of Eastern Sri Lanka, by the way life has resumed here.

The sea itself appeared a life giver. The fisher folk who had almost lost their only means of livelihood were once again throwing out their nets in the wee hours of the morning. The boats were drifting into the blue still waters at dusk - a beautiful sight we did not want to miss. The sense of insecurity seems to have slowly fled from their lives, as they collected their catch before noon or in the early hours of the morning. They ran with hope towards the "ice rooms" as they called their cold storage.

Life of the people of Trinco is so linked to the sea - I say this again because the beaming faces of the children and youth wearing a carefree expression spoke a lot of the present scene in Trinco. To them a breath of fresh air in the open was a breath of "free" air - without fear and commands engulfing their innocent lives. Commands from either side the LTTE or the army causing fear of threat to life and innocence, was a legacy of the war. Our eyes could not take in this truth for a while. So Trinco was indeed beginning to bubble with life. That this would prevail is the fervent hope of everyone.

We hopped around the town in curiosity. We spoke at random to men, women and youth of all three major communities. We met quite a number of self employed traders, small scale businessmen and women and even men trading by the way side, as they shouted to attract buyers.

There was no hurry to shut the door by afternoon or wrap up their ware. No one did really complain of intrusion or payment of undue taxes or arbitrary collections of their days earnings. A Sinhala woman we spoke to who was selling clothes (a single bread winner) said she did not now wish to leave the town as she had done earlier on several occasions. Another trader, again a Sinhala businessman who had stacked shelves with so much stuff and so many varieties of good quality rice said that business was once again booming.

They had the banks to their advantage too. Earlier it had been a case of 'no business - no consumption and no money in their hands'. A Tamil textile businessman said his business was slowly returning to his grand father's days - I believed in his story when in appreciation of our visit he placed in my hand a small memento. A Muslim grocery owner mentioned "things move Ok God helped us" and he was happy to see the people of the South visiting Trinco. He said that people of Trinco were grateful for what was happening and bore hopes of a better tomorrow.

We visited the temples, kovils and a church. At all the places of religious worship the devotees and visitors were as free as in the Southern Sri Lanka. In spite of the meagre contributions which had sustained them for many years, they had lived in hope for rays of peace and harmony. The gods seem to have answered their prayers for return of some form of peace and tranquillity. We left the sacred premises, in the hope that their prayers be answered more fully, through love, understanding and sharing the essence of cohabiting.

Away from the now busy town, we noticed an awakening. Life was resurging through increasing economic activity and freedom of movement. Vendors were vying to sell red onions, rice, dry fish, fresh fish, corals and shells, palmyrah treacle and even palmyrah toddy. Huge Kohomba (Margosa) trees were providing ample shade. Their mode of transport into the interior was the bicycle. Some of the vendors we spoke to mentioned that a better public transport would bring more people into the villages. They also wished for better medical facilities, public wells, improvements in schools and even school curriculum. Parents wanted their children to learn better English, and use of the computer, however ignorant or below par they were. They welcomed the plan for rebuilding the harbour. The sea is our life giver - the sea brings us money. So the harbour will improve our standard of life', was their explanation. Trinco is coming back to life. Let it flourish as it had been long long ago, in the time of the kings of Sri Lanka and even under the British - where there was so much economic activity. So life has begun, and let not it be taken away, was the hope of the Trincomaleans.

We also had the good fortune to meet representatives of Naval Monitoring Team Trincomalee. They were really involved in maintaining the truce, and working towards that end day and night. In fact one naval monitor emphasised that nothing speaks better than the faces they see. The widening smile of men and women and children. They seemed very optimistic of the peace keeping process. To them both parties - LTTE and the Government were genuine in their efforts in seeking a permanent solution to the long lasting war and the 'havoc' that followed. They commended the Sri Lankan Navy for their determined efforts in maintaining the peace. The Naval monitoring Committee as well as the Navy were busy morning, noon and night to prevent any violation of the ceasefire agreement that may hinder the peace process.

On Sunday the 18th of August they were out at sea by 4.00 a.m. to meet and supervise the LTTE cadres move from Wanni to Vakarai on 'leave', the first movement of unarmed LTTE cadres between the Wanni and Eastern Province, in a convoy of four vessels carrying 170 LTTE cadres. Both sides stuck to their deal fanning hopes of a lasting peace. Despite a few hours delay the three parties the Sri Lanka Navy, the Norway Naval team and the LTTE made it a day.

Off shore too probably unarmed LTTE cadres intermingled with the civilians not causing any panic or scare slowly but steadily normalcy was returning except for a very few incidents. It appeared the people were hopeful. Everyone was hoping for a better tomorrow.

With each rising new sun and the day that followed, hope springs eternal in the breast of not only the people of Trincomalee but all Sri Lankans.

May the noble Triple Gem and the gods shower the island, this beautiful island with blessings of a lasting peace. Let re-awakened 'Male' spread its message of peace and unite Sri Lanka under one flag.

(The writer is a former lecturer in Business Communication at the Sri Jayewardenepura University.)

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