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Skewed logic

February 7 is the date set by President Kumaratunga for the distribution of material relief among 80 per cent of our tsunami victims, by State agencies involved in the distribution of aid.

This follows a frank recognition by the Government that only some 30 per cent of those eligible for compensation by the State, among tsunami victims, have received the relevant succour to date.

Considering the enormity of this task, we call on all State institutions involved in the aid distribution process, to rise to the challenge of feeding and fending for all the victims of the tidal wave disaster, in a spirit of selfless service.

While all this points to the fact that we have still a long way to go before we could rest from the labour of feeding the hapless victims of the tsunami devastation, reports are surfacing of attempts by some high-profile politicians to compel the world community into tying tsunami assistance to progress in the peace effort. In other words-food for peace.

This was commented on by no less a person than President Kumaratunga who characterized attempts to prevent the aid flow into Sri Lanka at present, as bordering on treachery.

While admitting that peace is necessary, she said that preventing humanitarian aid reaching Sri Lanka's devastated people is "the greatest act of betrayal one could imagine."

It is difficult to see the logic-if any-behind this reported attempt by "a leader of a political party" to link the inflow of humanitarian assistance to progress in the peace effort.

While there is no denying that steady progress needs to be made in the direction of peace, linking the latter to the provision of humanitarian assistance - which is a prime need now - would be tantamount to bartering away the vital interests of the people.

After all, the peace process is tortuous in nature and would require time to evolve, whereas the hunger and comfort of the tsunami-affected need to be attended to immediately.

The latter tasks cannot be postponed for another day because human lives are being placed at a grave risk - particularly those of vulnerable groups, such as women and children. The misleading thinking of linking relief to peace, therefore, needs to be completely rejected and condemned as emanating from indifferent hearts.

So, the need is great for politicians to get their priorities right. The essential and urgent material needs of the tsunami-affected, such as food and shelter, should be provided forthwith, even as progress is made towards peace. The former should precede the latter but the latter cannot be allowed to wilter and falter.

A connection, however, exists between the tsunami crisis and peace. A public consultation organized last Saturday by the Constitutional Affairs and National Integration Ministry at the SLFI, Colombo, addressed by a wide cross-section of the Lankan polity, established a close link between the humanity and cordiality the tsunami crisis spread among our communities and the peace effort.

It was felt that the humanity and self-sacrifice seen during the devastation could be used as a base to forge ahead towards a resolution of the conflict, centering on equality.

Thinking of this kind, we hope, would be looked at closely by our politicians. But this should not shield them from current realities.

Baby 81

The moving story of Kalmunai's "Baby 81" has hugged the headlines during the last few days. The story could have come straight out of a film: a baby survives a tsunami, a passerby finds him, several couples claim to be the baby's parents and a court orders a DNA test to verify these claims.

Alas, the story is a real-life drama. It took an even more dramatic turn when a couple tried to snatch the baby from the hospital, where he is being looked after.

A court has ordered DNA testing on the four-month old baby as well as the purported parents to prove the veracity of the couple's claim. The physical destruction caused by the tsunami is all too clear.

Most of us have seen the enormous damage with our own eyes and television gave blanket coverage to the disaster, filling our living rooms with horrific pictures of death and destruction. But the emotional damage caused by the tsunami is not so visible. Those who have been left untouched by the waves cannot really feel it.

On the other hand, those who braved the waves and survived will carry the mental scars for the rest of their lives. The loss of parents and relatives as well as the fear induced by the tsunami itself will haunt them for life.

More than 800 children have lost both parents in the tragedy. Hundreds of other children have lost either mother or father. Many parents have lost one or all of their children.

The mental agony suffered by these children and parents is simply undescribable. In fact, many parents who lost children in the disaster have allegedly tried to snatch orphaned children in order to claim them as their own.

The Baby 81 incident indicates the need for a comprehensive national policy on the tsunami orphans. The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) and the Department of Probation and Childcare Services together with the Centre for National Operations (CNO) and the Task Force for Rescue and Relief (TAFRER) are now developing such a national policy. They have requested public help to gather further information.

The CNO and TAFRER has requested all relatives caring for children including surviving parents to register with the authorities; all unrelated persons including institutions/orphanages who have been caring for orphans to register with the authorities; and the public to provide information related to tsunami children as such information is necessary to identify missing children, provide future assistance, facilitate temporary foster care and adoptions and to provide educational needs and schooling.

Their future must not be bleak. We must ensure that they overcome the fear and insecurity to face the future with confidence.

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