When I heard that a Sinhalese Buddhist monk, Venerable Dr K Gunaratana who is the Religious Advisor of Mahakaruna Buddhist Society in Singapore had delivered a container load of relief supplies to the “Internally Displaced Persons” (IDP) in the Jaffna area, I decided to support him through the Chen Su Lan Trust in which I serve as the Chairman.
At the conclusion of the Civil war between the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) and the Liberation Tigers Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which raged for almost 30 years, around 250,000 children, women, cadres and Tamil soldiers were in the war zone at the end. They had fled before the advancing SLA forces from their villages. When the remaining LTTE fighters laid down their arms, some merged with the civilians. They were all – civilians and combatants - rounded up and placed in IDP camps to be screened. LTTE fighters and their supporters are being identified and put into rehabilitation camps. Others wait for re-settlement.
The war zones where their former villagers were located have been heavily laid with landmines and the process of de-mining the area is in process. Children and adults will then be repatriated back to their old homes and given support to start their lives again.
Meanwhile they are kept in IDP camps scattered in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
For security reasons there are unable to go in and out of the camps when the screening is in progress. Access to the camps is restricted.
The Sri Lanka government with the help of United Nations, foreign governments, International Aid agencies and non-government organizations (NGO) are providing housing, clothing, water, food, medical services to those in camp. I identified the International Committee of the Red Cross, Oxfam, Medecins sans Frontieres, World Food Programme, UNICEF. I was pleasantly surprised to read from a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Report that the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has donated close to US$4 million.
Faced with the mounting daily needs of the people in the IDP camps the government is also confronted by the United Nations to speed up the process of re-settlement. On the day of our visit to Manik Farm on September 17, the UN Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Lynn Pascoe, was there in the morning and met with the military leadership.
Ven Gunaratana, Khema (representing Mahakaruna) and I landed in the Colombo airport after a three and half hour flight and we continued on by a four-wheeled drive Pajero for a five hour drive in the night to the north. The drive was along the main road north which is only two lane and undivided. It reminded me of the forties in Malaysia driving through dark roads passing equally dimly-lit villages and towns until we reached Anuandhrapura which is the ancient capital around midnight. It was busy with traffic of bicycles, motor cycles, three-wheelers, cars, vans, and trucks.
Early next morning we set off to Vavuniya which is the large town serving the area where Manik Farm, the largest camp, was located. We first visited the office which is responsible for the processing of the camp inmates for repatriation. Colonel Wadugodapitiyn briefed us. There have released around 15,000 people mainly to the Jaffna area and will try to speed up the work of reuniting families and settling in their former villages.
We then visited the office of the office of the Rehabilitation programme. Major General Daya Ratnayake reported about the work with the LTTE combatants who have been identified and placed in separate camps to undergo re-education. We went to a camp where there were teenagers recruited in the fighting forces. In this camp there were 458 teenagers between the ages of 13-18 out of which 370 are Hindus and 86 Christians. They gathered in the hall of the former Teachers Training Center to receive gifts from us. We talk to some of them and they seem to have adjusted to their situation. They have a full programme daily and a few may want to take the O Level examinations at the end of the year.
Major General Kamal Gunaratne who is the Commander in Vavuniya had earlier in the morning entertained the UN Under Secretary came to receive us in the office of a Sinhalese monk who has taken into his temple 120 orphans and also involved in feeding some of the people in the camp daily.
Ganeral Kamal joined us for a meal hosted by the revered monk and then invited us for tea in his home. He directed the war operation and told us that it was a massive effort. Around 26,000 were killed on each side and thousands were wounded. He is now in charge of the entire programme of the IDP camps. We went with him in his car back to his home in Vavuniya and we had a good discussion along the way. We spent the night in the Guest House of the Military Headquarters there.
The Generals had visited Singapore before on official missions and Ven Gunaratana had established good relationships with them. In Sinhalese culture there is a great respect for the monks. The symbol for me is to see even the Generals greeting the monks in the customary manner of kneeling before him and bowing with clasped hands each time they meet and leave.
While there is a continuing need for relief supplies we will respond to their requests for specific ones. The Rehabilitation camp we visited need more installation of sanitary facilities, chairs for the hall (They were all seated on the floor when we were there). They now saw the need for equipping a computer room for instructional purposes. That is why I sent out the appeal for computers in working condition to be shipped over to the camp. Thank you for your quick response.
In our discussion with General Kamal we were concerned with reconciliation between the Sinhalese and Tamils. We are seeking his help to secure a piece of land in the town of Vavuniya or an old building for us to use as an educational center. It will serve as an interfaith and intercultural center for peace and unity and providing services for English instruction, IT training and other skills to the community. It will be a place of intersecting and interaction between the different religious groups in the community to be led by the leadership of the respective faith communities there. He has promised his support and awaits our official proposal.
When we went back to Colombo I had made an earlier appointment with an old friend who was a staff member of the Christian Conference of Asia and currently Chairman of the National Council of Churches in Sri Lanka, Bishop Daniel Thiagarajah who is based in Jaffna. Unfortunately he was unable to get a flight out on that day. We visited the office and briefed the General Secretary Jayasiri Peiris about our visit. He recalled that he first met in Hong Kong when I conducted an ecumenical training session years ago.
When we left Dr Peiris presented us with a replica of a “Persian” cross which was excavated in Anuandhrapura. It was dated an 6th century A.D. relic.It was taken over to Ceylon by Persian traders. For centuries this nascent Christian group existed with the Buddhists in this ancient capital of Ceylon and now a World Heritage Site.
When we visited Anuandhrapura at 6:00 a.m. on the morning we returned to Colombo, we met gain General Kamal at the largest Buddhist Pagoda. He was there for his morning prayer. We were together under the historic Bodhi Tree which came from a saplimg of the original tree where Gautama Buddha had his enlightenment. This was reputed to have been planted in year 288 B.C. It was an inspiring moment – an epiphany for me to be praying with my Buddhist friends under the tree of enlightenment.
The war has ended in Sri Lanka. Rehabilitation has begun. Reconciliation has to occur for continued peace and harmony in the land.
We pray for the rulers and the people that they may engage vigorously in the pursuit of peace with justice.
