New beginning for resettled - Part II:

Peace brings opportunities

Ariya RUBASINGHE

Only 27, 400 IDPs remain to be resettled and out of which 19,000 are from the Pudukudiiruppu and Pudumathalan areas. They are unable to be resettled yet since the area is heavily congested with landmines. Government is engaged in rebuilding the North and bringing normalcy to the displaced civilians. Continued from yesterday

Col. Susantha Gunasekera, North Demining Officer-in-charge of Presidential Task Force for Demining advised the media team at the Pooneryn Camp, that through the LTTE documents taken into custody, they were able to find an invoice relating to the purchase of 230,000 land mines and in addition to this a similar amount or more mines could have been produced locally by the LTTE. These mines have been laid all over the Kilinochchi District and are now being cleared.

Speaking about the historical importance of Poneryn the Colonel said that as per historical records all enemy incursions to Sri Lanka in the past had been done through Pooneryn and before the last victorious military exercise there had been 135 battles to capture and regain Pooneryn.

Communication facilities for IDPs. File photo

A flyover is being constructed between Pooneryn and Thananakilappu T-junction to join A-32 road with the Jaffna peninsula. Pooneryn-Gurunagar jetty has been already constructed and have been commissioned to make ferry services functional.

Difficulties endured during war period

Ninety three families in Vinnachchiolai village in the Pooneryn side of the lagoon, of which the residents left the area when it was occupied by the LTTE and made it a main raillery point to attack Kankesanthurai has been resettled in houses constructed by the Army. They have also been provided with one-acre land for each family to indulge in short-term crop cultivation during the off fishing seasons.

At 155 milepost on the A-9 road people have been resettled in the surrounding areas and Sri Lanka Telecom has built a 100 meter telecom tower and an administration complex. Joseph Jayakumar, who returned after attending the Sunday morning Mass near the Church just opposite the Telecom Tower related that they had a real tough time during the LTTE occupation period and only the LTTE operated buses were plying the roads and many shops in the Kilinochchi town and in the market were also run by LTTE personnel. He said that they had to pay Rs 2 for parking a bicycle and Rs 10 for parking a motorcycle in the town or in the market area.

From Kilinochchi to Omanthai the buses charged Rs 90 and separate charges were made for people crossing the Omanthai check point. If a person wanted to go beyond the Omanthai checkpoint they had to get an exit/re-entry pass from Omanthai with surrendering someone as personal security and in the event of non-return by the person left, the person kept as security was punished. He also said that LTTE Police personnel visited houses to forcibly recruit youth for their military service, and despite people assaulting and chasing out the Police Personnel, they repeatedly visited the houses and recruited the youth.

On the way to Kilinochchi from Iranamadu, the team visited a roadside boutique to purchase some biscuits. A majority of the people in the District were very happy about the peaceful atmosphere and the new opportunities being opened to them.

Throughout the district, it was evident that in the name of establishing an Elusive State of Eelam the terrorist war-mongers had completely destroyed the life of the people and even destroyed their places of living. Only the structures of houses and other buildings can be seen throughout the district with roofs systematically removed, perhaps for construction of terrorist camps and other structures. The structure or the huge Kilinochchi Water Tower blasted by the terrorists to deny water to the approaching army and the people remaining in the town lay on the ground.

A sign that can be depicted as Kilinochchi is in line with the country’s development and other programs was Dengue Eradication Posters that were seen in and around the Kilinochchi Hospital. The 250 bed hospital has a Blood Bank, Dental Unit, four wards and eight bed ICU Unit and an OPD Unit. Doctors are in shortage and several hundred patients are being treated daily. In addition to this, Doctors specializing in Psychiatry, Cardiology, Orthopaedic treatment, Paediatric and other treatments are visiting once a month from the Vavuniya hospital.

Educational uplift

The Vocational Training Technical College complex near to the Hospital site had been destroyed and reconstruction of this complex is being carried out to commence classes from January next year. Interviews have already been held to select students for Courses in Sewing, Masonry, Carpentry, Electrical wiring, and Welding. Currently lectures on crash courses in English are being held on weekends for these students in a temporary building nearby. Lecturer G Muraleedaran said that these students will fill the technical qualified manpower required for the development of the area.

Kilinochchi Central College has started to function normally. Classes are being held from Grade One to Advanced Level. There are 1,450 students at present with 746 boys and 704 girls. Primary level 601 students with 320 boys and 281 girls. Secondary level 399 students with 195 girls and 204 girls, GCE Ordinary level 259 students with 143 boys and 116 girls and GCE Advanced Level with 88 boys and 195 girls.

In the Vaddakatchi Maha Vidyalaya, also in the Kilinochchi town area, Grade One to A/l classes are being held and it has streams of Science, Maths, Arts and Commerce. Resettlement of families around this school area commenced in April and over 600 students are now following classes in the school fourty four teachers including seven new appointees are serving the school.

The media team also visited a housing unit being constructed by the Army in Vaddakatchi. Seven soldiers were involved in the construction process. A resident of another nearby house built by the army, Mrs. Paravindi said that her husband died as a result of a shell attack during the war and she has two daughters aged five and seven.

Improvement in markets

The media team also took time to visit the market and the Kilinochchi Pola where it was found that vegetables, rice, fish (fresh and dry) and beef and products exclusive for the North such as sweetmeats made of palmyra are available at reasonable prices. Rice varieties were available from Rs 44 to Rs 50 a kilo, red onion at Rs 65 a kilo, palmyra jaggery at Rs 250 a kilo, grapes at Rs 300 a kilo, mango at 20-35 cents and so on. Ready-made garments were even cheaper than prices in Colombo.

The Kilinochchi Victory Monument erected in May has become a tourist attraction location. Several shops have been opened for the convenience of the local tourist passing on the A-9 road and visiting this place. In and around Kilinochchi bus stand shops are open even on Sunday and several new shops and restaurants amounting 20 to 35 buildings have sprouted and more are under construction. The Iranamdu Tank has also become a tourist attraction point. On Sundays, there were more than 25 buses parked opposite the Iranamadu Park and streams of people were found around the tank area.

International Airport for Kilinochchi

The media team also visited the Airforce base at Iranamadu. The earmarked area for the base amounts to 8,000 acres of land and it is envisaged to build Sri Lanka’s third International Airport at this site. Squadron leader Haily Rupasinghe said that site clearance has been completed with the recovery of 9656 landmines from the heavily mined air force base area. They have also found several unexploded shells and other war materials including a part of the destroyed LTTE mini-aircraft. All these items including the land mines are kept in a safe area as monuments.

Phase one of the airport project covers site clearance and building administrative, recreational, residential and administrative complexes, which are being carried out at an estimated cost of Rs 70 million. This base will be commissioned before the end of this year.

Under phase two of the project the 1.6m main Iranamadu runway captured from the terrorists will be expanded to three km to build a domestic airport, together with hangars and other buildings. This domestic airport will be built to facilitate tourists and others visiting the North. It will be able to accommodate Avro, A-32 and other small aircraft used for tourist travel.

Upon completion of the project, plans have been drawn up to expand it as an international airport with foreign investments facilitating international direct flights to and from the airport.

In addition to this, the Air Force is also involved in several community coordination and interaction programs which include housing construction for resettlement, upgrading educational facilities, providing books and educational materials to children and libraries. Several Associations are helping the Air Force in these activities.

The writer is Media Centre for National Development Director, Mass Media and Information Ministry