Security, Reconciliation and Sustainable Development - Part II:

‘Demining, meticulously carried out’

Text of the speech by Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa at the fifth annual symposium of the Kotelawala Defence University held recently

The demining programme was carefully planned and executed. Priority areas were chosen to maximise efficiency and to enable the speedy return of the civilians to the homes they had been displaced from. As such, the first priority was to demine the towns and villages. The second priority was to demine the agricultural areas such as paddy fields and plantations. The third priority was to clear the forested areas. I am pleased to note that as of today, the two main priority areas have been almost completely cleared. To date, 469,275 anti-personnel mines, 1,399 anti-tank mines, and 388,963 unexploded ordnance devices have been recovered. It is because of the large number of mines and IEDs planted by the LTTE that demining continues in some areas to this day. These are places where heavy fighting took place during the last stages of the war, and where the concentration of mines is at its highest. It is expected that these areas too will be completely cleared in the very near future.

Security Forces personnel engaged in demining activities. File photo

With the completion of demining in each area, reconstruction was expedited so that the infrastructure and facilities that had been long neglected under LTTE occupation could be developed. The renovation of houses and construction of new housing units was one of the government’s first priorities in terms of reconstruction since it enabled the expediting of the resettlement programme. The Army has renovated over 6,000 houses and constructed nearly 7,000 new housing units in this region. Under a grant sponsored by the government of India, 43,000 new houses will also be constructed. The pilot project for this programme was launched in 2010, and 1,000 houses have already been built and handed over to the beneficiaries. Through these on-going programmes, the housing stock in the North will be greatly increased and improved over the next few years.

Development projects

Infrastructure development was another key concern. In a similar initiative to the ‘Eastern Dawn’ programme, the government launched a programme entitled the ‘Northern Spring’ to undertake large development projects in the North. Infrastructure development, electricity, water supply and sanitation, agriculture, irrigation, livestock development, inland fisheries, health, solid waste disposal, education, sports, cultural affairs and transportation improvements were all envisaged under this programme. A team of officials was appointed to each District to identify and direct the necessary activities.

Essential infrastructure, including access roads, minor tanks, public buildings, hospitals, schools, were upgraded quickly to facilitate speedy resettlement. With the completion of these priority projects, attention was turned to larger undertakings. Township development, including improved administrative facilities for enhanced delivery of state services, has been expedited in all districts. The development of the road network throughout the North has also been expedited. Many important bridges have been built. The restoration of the railways has been undertaken, as the railways had ceased functioning in 1990 due to LTTE action. The railway track from Omanthai to Pallai will be completed by next September, and the rest from Pallai to Kankasanthurai will be completed by June 2014. The track from Medawachchiya to Madhu will be completion in March next year, and the track from Madhu to Talaimannar is expected to be completed six months later.

Welfare Village

Much of the irrigation infrastructure, including canals and tanks, has been restored in order to revive agriculture and farming, and major programmes to upgrade drinking water supply and sanitation are also underway. Electrification has been expedited, and many regions that did not have power supply before are gaining this benefit for the first time. Provision of healthcare is being enhanced with the construction of new facilities and the restoration of old infrastructure. Schools are being restored and brought back to full functionality. I am also pleased to note that many private sector organisations have set up operations in the North, including financial institutions, supermarkets, boutiques and shops.

With the completion of demining and the completion of reconstruction in each area, the displaced civilians were resettled. By the middle of August, just over three years after the liberation of the North, the government has successfully resettled 240,067 IDPs. As at today, only 3,054 individuals from 866 families remain in the last functioning Welfare Village. These IDPs are from areas that have the highest concentration of mines, which have taken a little longer than expected to render safe. The government intends to complete the resettlement of all IDPs by the middle of this month. Resettling nearly 300,000 internally displaced people in just over three years is a significant and laudable achievement by any standard, and it has enabled the long suffering people of the North to once again live their lives under the conditions of normalcy experienced by everyone around Sri Lanka.

Alongside resettlement of the IDPs, another significant challenge before the government was in dealing with the LTTE cadres who surrendered or were detained during the Humanitarian Operation. It is important to stress that the approach adopted by the government has been different from the usual approach adopted in these circumstances. Instead of seeking to prosecute and punish all these ex-terrorists, the government placed the vast majority of them in rehabilitation programmes from the first day onwards. This was because of the President’s vision that the former LTTE cadres had been misled, and deserved an opportunity to see the error of their ways and reintegrate with society. As such, they were placed in a comprehensive rehabilitation programme, which was overseen by the Bureau of the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation programme

A special UNICEF supported rehabilitation programme was organised for the 594 child soldiers who had surrendered. The focus was on providing proper counselling as well as spiritual development activities and positive values cultivation for these child beneficiaries. Formal education was provided, with classes being conducted for more than 200 students between Grade 8 and Grade 11, and 65 students in the Advanced Level sections. Several six month long vocational training programmes were also conducted in subjects such as information technology, aesthetics, carpentry, masonry, beauty culture etcetera. All the child beneficiaries were reunited with their families within one year, although 74 chose to come back to continue the education programmes they had been following while under rehabilitation.

All adult beneficiaries underwent extensive programmes that were designed to de-radicalise them and equip them with the ability to return to normal life in society. It is very important to stress the fact that several International agencies and Non Governmental Organisations such as the IOM and UNICEF were given free and unfettered access to the rehabilitation centres. So too were diplomats, media personnel, lawyers, and the family members of the beneficiaries. Counselling was a major component of the rehabilitation programme.

Religious and cultural activities

Special training and periodic refresher training was provided to centre administrators on how to provide psychological first aid and counselling. The counselling programme was designed in partnership with the Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition, Ministry of Social Services and Social Welfare, and many Non Governmental Organisations engaged in the field. This was intended to correct the mind-set of the ex-combatants and affect attitudinal change. Much effort was taken to enable them to develop their personalities as individuals.

Spiritual, religious and cultural rehabilitation programmes were conducted for the beneficiaries, with the intention of reacquainting them with the cultural and family norms they had left behind when with the LTTE. Psychological and creative therapy rehabilitation was provided, including group counselling and therapy sessions, aesthetics and drama therapy programmes. Beneficiaries were also encouraged to take part in various sports activities. A lot of attention was paid to the reunification of families, with married ex-combatants being given the opportunity to re-join their spouses, children and parents at special rehabilitation centres called ‘Peace Villages’. Special leave was also granted to many of the beneficiaries to visit their families, and attend religious and cultural activities at home from time to time. This enabled many beneficiaries to continue their rehabilitation without any disruption to their family life.

To be continued