By Camelia Nathaniel

It is indeed heartening to see the Tamil people and the Sinhalese soldiers in the North, living in harmony and the soldiers assisting these people rebuild their lives, which were shattered due to the conflict that devastated this country for three decades.

In spite of many allegations being levelled against the army, accusing them of interfering in the lives of the civilians, and having spoken to numerous people who were conversant in Sinhala, there was nothing to remotely convey the feeling of displeasure with the military when the question was directly posed as to how satisfied the people were with the military.

One such example of how much the military is involved in the lives of the ordinary Tamils is amply visible at the Kepapilavu model village, located in the corner of Kepapilavu bordering Seeniyamottai, where 165 families who were sheltered at the Manik Farm subsequent to the end of the war, are being resettled.

The army is involved in building permanent houses that are 480sq.ft with two bedrooms, living room, bathroom and kitchen, on 40 perch plots of land allocated for each family, at a cost of Rs 375,000 per house solely due to the fact that the labour is absolutely free. Around 90 soldiers of the 59 Division of the Army, have been deployed for the construction of houses at the Kepapilavu model village, under the guidance of the Commander Security Forces Headquarters Mulaitivu, Major General, L.B.R. Mark.

Rebuilding Lives

Elaborating on the role played by the army in rebuilding the lives of these 165 families, Brigadier Ranjith Samarasinghe, Commander of the 592 Brigade, under whose jurisdiction the Mulliyawali area comes under, told The Sunday Leader that this 25 acre land Kepapilavu, was given by the government to the former government officers on a temporary basis for cultivation purposes. “This is the land that was taken over last year and distributed among the people. There are 165 families that were IDP’s at Manik Farm and they have each received 40 perches. We have divided this area into 170 blocks, but there are only 165 families resettled here. The other blocks will be allocated for community buildings, such as two blocks for the preschool and one plot of land for the Grama Niladhari’s office and the Roman Catholic Church and the other religious faiths as well,” he explained.

According to Brigadier Samarasinghe, initially the IDPs had been brought in two batches. The first batch of 50 families had arrived, followed by the second batch a few days later. “Therefore, the first batch of 50 families from Chettikulam, Menik Farm was selected for the initial stage of construction of houses. Of the 165 families that were resettled in Kepapilavu, all the families, except for just 13, were from Menik Farm, while the other 13 families were from Jaffna,” he added.

One of the unique factors of this project is that the designing and construction is carried out entirely by the army. “We identified soldiers with building and construction capabilities and also trained others in construction. The design was also done by soldiers of the infantry battalion and it was a simple design so that it would be easier for them to carryout repairs later. The raw materials were also obtained from local suppliers giving them too an opportunity to gain by these constructions,” the Brigadier said.

With regard to allegations levelled against the army about interference into the lives of the Tamil people, he said these are baseless accusations made by certain parties who want the people to be distant from the forces as they do not want harmony. “However, the poor people of these areas depend a lot on us and our support in rebuilding their lives. These lands were cleared by us, and construction too is carried out by the army. We conducted around 10 shramadhanas in the area to prepare the land for the people. The politicians and other public servants are not available to serve these people all the time, but the army is available round the clock, and has assisted them in many emergency situations. Recently even when a bridge in the area had been washed away due to the recent floods, and there was no one to help the people, it was the army that reconstructed a new bridge for them within a couple of days. ,” he said.

No Caste Issues With Soldiers

Brigadier Samarasinghe also said another issue that hampers the activities in the North is the caste problem. “Many of the government servants are of a higher caste and they do not want these poor farmers and fishermen to come up to their level. Throughout history they have been enjoying a very high status in society and they want to continue that even today. These people of the lower caste cannot even sit with them on the same level. However, when these people deal with us there is no such barrier and they can sit with even the highest officer and discuss an issue without any problem. Therefore, these people are more comfortable when they deal with the army,” he said.

Selladorai Dhanamma, is a mother of seven, of which three of her children are now married and live separately. Two sons and two daughters are still living with her. She is originally from Mathugama, but had lived in the North for over 30 years. Explaining her traumatic experiences during the terror reign of the LTTE she said “During the war, I had a time protecting my children, but one of my sons was abducted by the LTTE and he later managed to escape. We had dug holes in the ground during the war and hid our children and covered them with leaves and stuff to protect them and prevent them being taken away by the terrorists. Those were the darkest days of our lives, and now we are enjoying peace and starting to rebuild our lives once again. This is like a dream come true for us. We arrived here from Settikulam, Manik Farm and now they are constructing our houses and we can live together with our family and especially our children without fear, which is the most important thing. I am thankful that none of my children were lost during the war,” she said.

She also said that during that period, they did not have any food to eat, but today she said, they are able to feed their families by doing some labour work. “The only issue now is that employment opportunities are a bit scarce, but once the settlements come up and people move into these areas there will be better employment opportunities for the people of this area. We are very grateful to the army for their assistance in bringing peace into our lives. Even today they are a great source of strength to us and they assist us in every way possible,” she said.

Rebuilding Shattered Lives

Yogarasa and Sarojini, who were both members of the LTTE, have also received a plot of land in Kepapilavu. They had married after the war ended and now have one child of 1 ½ years. Having surrendered to the security forces after the end of the war, they were taken to Manik Farm. Thereafter, they were resettled here and given a plot of land to start their lives over again. Since Yogarasa is disabled, having lost a leg during the war, an NGO has provided him the capital to set up a grocery shop at the Kepapilavu settlement. “We have brought all the materials necessary to set up the shop and will be opening it soon,” he said.

Although Yogarasa and Sarojini were fighting against the army during the conflict, today these very soldiers are their only sources of strength in assisting them rebuild their shattered lives.

S. Krishnan, 82, who lost his wife in 1999, was originally a resident of the Walayamadu area, and had been displaced due to the war and later housed at Manik Farm prior to being resettled at Kepapilavu. “During the war I had hidden my four children in Colombo with relatives. Now I have cultivated a few crops in my plot of land as I am too old now to do a job. My children too assist me financially and today I am happy. Although my children are away from me, it is these soldiers that take care of me as if I was their own. Even when I feel lonely, they would come and talk to me and keep me company. I for one am very comfortable with these soldiers being around, as it gives us a sense of safety and protection,” he said.

Several voluntary organisations too have come forward to assist the residents of the Kepapilavu resettlement and water tanks and other common amenities have been provided by them. For these people who have experienced ‘hell on earth’, as they describe it, this is a new beginning filled with hope. For them the main factor of contentment is that they are able to live in peace without fear of not knowing if they would live to see a tomorrow. For them the army is an integral part of their lives and have learnt to trust them and depend on them in rebuilding their future that a few years ago they never dreamed possible.
COURTESY:THE SUNDAY LEADER