Whither the Future of the Displaced in SL?

Her name is A. Rajinie, 30 years old and her birth place is Jaffna. Rajinie lost her mother in 1988 due to the IPKF attacks. This is not only the misfortune of Rajinie as her family got caught the war in 1995 and displaced first time. After the first displacement Rajinie and her family resettled at Kanakarayankulam in Kilinochchi district.
Today, Rajinie lives with her husband and the 11/2 years old baby girl. Before the final war in 2009, her husband was a carpenter. But due to shell attacks during the war, he lost his right leg and now he can not do his profession as a carpenter. He became a day labourer as he needs to run the family. However, this is a huge struggle for the survival of the family today.
“Now we are living in a small hut at Puduhur Junction at Puliyankulam. We settled here just after the release of the people from the camps. Government gave us 12 tin sheets and 25,000 rupees only as the resettlement aid. The WFP gave us dry ration for our survival and we are depending on them today. We do not know when we would go back to our original places. We think it would have been much better if we had died during the war.” This is Rajinies frustrated voice. “We were seriously affected at the final war. We were living at Kanakarayankulam when the final war started. When the government military invaded our area, LTTE ordered us to leave the houses and vacate the village. We ran away to save our child and our lives with few clothes which we could carry at that time. After the Exodus, we got stranded at Puthukudurippu at Vellimullavaikkal camps at the end of the run. We were got caught at the final war and became the serious victims as we affected badly”.
Rajinie and her family could not live in the camps as they got frightened due to shells moving over their heads. At the same stage, her husband lost his right leg and became a cripple. This was another grate lost for Rajinie’s life as he was the only bread winner of the family of three. Even with the wounds there was no any treatment for her husband as there was no medical facilities for any wound to treat. So, the best option was to remove his leg and save the life of the patient. The doctors help to save his life that way which is a fortune at least today. Finally, they dug a bunker and lived within the bunker more than a month. Even it was like a nightmare to Rajinie today. Shells were fallen on the heads of the people and within a second people lost their lives. “We ran away when government military forces came to the area and ordered people to move out from the camps. We left even our father as we could not carry him with us. We walked three days. Some times we did not have water to drink. My child was so weak with no food. What to do? I did not have breast milk too to feed her. Once, I was hiding in an abandoned well one day to save my life and my husband’s and child’s lives. That was so hard to remind now. The sufferings due to lack of food, lack of water and also the security we were in a serious difficulties.
On the other hand my husband also a cripple, I am helpless in many ways. After three days struggle, we came to Menik Farm by buses provided by Government military. We were stayed there at Menik farm more than 6 months. It is around one month now they have settled the place.
But their voice is so wage and sharing are so much pathetic and hopeless. “We can not see any future for our people. We were neglected as we are belonging to a minority group. We do not know how far we need to stay at these camps.”
“We are scared to live in these new settlements as serpent come to the tents in the night. What can I do with my poor husband and girl child. We are victims of the war and the neglected due to poor and marginalized.”
Some of our people are displaced since 1995. They do not have any resettlement scheme yet. So, we do not know how long we have to be here. Some times, my poor girl will also perpetuate this life and will curse this society in the future, as we do today. I am scared to think this happen again in our society. I do not want any more violence. But there will no any option for the poor minority people in this society. What can we do? I do not like to remind the bad memories of war any more.
Finally, Rajnie shared her fear and her frustration with a challenge to the whole Sri Lankan society.
Compiled Herman Kumara, based on the information gathered from A.Jesudasan,