Daunting challenges of rebuilding:

Resettlement and reintegration

Address by Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe at the 22nd Annual Sessions of the Organization of Professional Associations in Colombo. The first and second parts appeared on Tuesday and Wednesday.

To date, over 23,000 persons have been released including over 11,000 for resettlement and nearly 12,000 on humanitarian grounds to host families and institutions that provide care. This number also includes over 270 university students who will be able to continue with their studies. The number of medical staff and health volunteers has been gradually enhanced, family-health centres established and, as a result, mortality rates have been brought down to the national average.

Minister Samarasinghe

Work is under way to ensure better information provision to IDPs so that they are made aware of arrangements to make services available to them and development initiatives being implemented to facilitate their return. The much talked about issue of freedom of movement has been addressed and we expect a gradual improvement in the ensuing period. The authorities in charge of maintaining the camps have also put in place a system of day-passes whereby IDPs who need to attend to specific wants, ranging from attending a family wedding to visiting their bank in a nearby town, can leave the camps for a limited period of time.

Reconstruction

A Presidential Task Force was appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in May 2009 for the resettlement, development and security in the Northern Province. It is mandated to prepare strategic plans, programs and projects to resettle internally displaced persons, rehabilitate and develop economic and social infrastructure of the Northern Province.

It will oversee that development of all physical infrastructure, restoration of Government and other services and the creation of an environment in which normal civilian life can resume and continue.

The Chair of the Presidential Task Force, Senior Advisor to the President, Basil Rajapaksa MP, is working tirelessly to implement this program. A massive quantum of investment is required to ensure the success of this exercise with an estimated US $ 150 million being committed to date. The Government is determined that the facilities available to the people in the rest of the country will be available to the people in conflict-affected areas.

Return/Resettlement

The Government is committed to ensuring favourable conditions for return which included demining and ensuring sustainability of resettlement and returns. The return and resettlement program can only be completed when demining is concluded and we expect to be able to report on major advances in this area during the coming weeks.

The acquisition of 10 new flailing machines, using Government funds, will enable us to clear much more ground and obtain necessary certification from the United Nations agencies concerned. I am happy to inform you that with the assistance of UNHCR and UNOCHA, we have been able to secure the commitment of an additional US $ 5 million for demining equipment. According to the initial survey carried out by the Information Management System on Mine Action, it is estimated that around 1.5 million landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) contaminate an area of 402 sq km. Since the beginning of January 2009, de-mining of 25 Grama Niladhari divisions has been completed. According to the National Steering Committee on Mine Action, de-mining in 15 divisions in Musali, Manthai West and the Rice bowl area of Mannar covering 80 sq km have commenced and clearance is ongoing. De-mining of the Rice bowl area is expected to be complete by Mid-October to enable further resettlement. In the Vavuniya district, 35 divisions have already been cleared and are ready for the resettlement of IDPs. De-mining activities in another 10 divisions is ongoing. In Jaffna, de-mining in 14 divisions has been completed with de-mining activities in a further 19 divisions ongoing. While de-mining in 03 divisions in Batticaloa and 01 division in Trincomalee has been completed, clearance activities are ongoing in another 02 divisions each in Anuradhapura, Batticaloa and Trincomalee Districts. As at the end of August, a total of 445,370,401 square meters have been cleared of mines and UXOs. Approximately US$ 64 million has been allocated for the Sri Lankan Mine Action Programme through the respective de-mining agencies. Of the area cleared, a total of 335,927,614 square meters have been cleared by the Army at a cost of US$ 10 million. The rest of the area has been cleared by other de-mining agencies. Apart from de-mining, resettlement can only be made sustainable if livelihoods and other early recovery measures are put in place. The smooth transition from early recovery to medium and longer-term economic development is also being planned for. This long term development strategy is being developed and implemented under a program known as the Vadakkin Vasantham, which will usher in a new era for the people of the North.

The Government also is committed to focus attention on the longstanding issue of protracted IDPs. We successfully conducted a National Consultation on protracted cases of displacement last year. These IDPs, including Muslims who were expelled from the Northern Province by the LTTE 20 years ago, pose a challenge due to the complexity of their situation having been in a situation of displacement, in some cases, for 15 to 20 years. We have to revisit the problems faced by these persons and seek to bring them within the Government's reconstruction, resettlement, reintegration and reconciliation program.

Reintegration

Perhaps one of the most important initiatives to ensure sustainable recovery in the post conflict era, are the efforts of the Government for the reintegration of ex-combatants. The ex-combatants who have undergone rehabilitation must be given our continued attention and reintegration of ex-combatants into civilian life to complement the attempts at normalization and reconciliation launched by the President, are the two final components of the integrated strategy that our Government has put in place. In support of these initiatives we have, after wide consultation, recently completed a national framework proposal on the reintegration of ex-combatants into civilian life. We laid the conceptual underpinnings of this exercise in 2006 within the ambit of the disaster recovery mandate of the Disaster Management and Human Rights Ministry and began work in October 2008, long before the armed operation was successfully concluded.

The framework takes a holistic view of reintegration which includes not only disarmament and demobilization followed by rehabilitation but also transitional justice, reinsertion and socio-economic integration. The integration process will enable those who took part in the conflict to rebuild their lives and become productive members of society.

We have been engaged in the process of formulating an action plan in keeping with the national framework in close consultation and coordination with the various Government focal points.

To be continued