The displaced Tamils locked in camps in Vavuniya in north Sri Lanka on Sunday made a tearful appeal to a delegation of MPs from Tamil Nadu to secure their release in view of the harsh living conditions there, which are threatening to get worse with the intensification of the monsoon.
The Tamil Nadu delegation on Sunday visited Jaffna and from there they went to Vavuniya to acquaint the living conditions of the camp where close to 3 lakh displaced Tamils are lodged in various sections.
The Tamil Nadu MPs freely interacted with a cross-section of displaced Tamils, sources from Vavuniya said, adding that some of the people turned emotional while interacting with the MPs.
According to a Indian news reports the refugees spoke about the severe water shortage. They told the MPs that a family of five got only 30 litres a day. Water for bathing and other uses was available only once in five days. Apparently, the river supplying water to the camps had dried up. The refugees also said that while the government was supplying rice, there was no provision for supply of other essentials, like oil, vegetables, and condiments.
The people expressed fear that during the monsoon the sanitation system, which was already weak, might collapse, causing diseases.
The Express News Service quoted unnamed sources and said the refugees rarely uttered a word about their sufferings during the military operations against the LTTE, but spoke about the critical shortages and other flaws in the camps and the need to get out fast.
“Many were in tears. They appealed to the TN MPs to secure their release as soon as possible,” one of the MPs said on condition of anonymity to ENS.
“We are glad that you all were able to visit us. Now please help us get out of here,” was the constant refrain, the news report said. It further added that the MPs had recorded on camera the entire five-hour visit, which took them from Zone 1 to Zone 5 in the Manik Farm complex. Some took notes. They dispersed and spoke to people in their hutments. Everywhere, they were surrounded by people who spoke their heart out without fear of the Sri Lankan security personnel accompanying the visiting MPs.
The parliamentarians were accompanied by Indian High Commissioner Alok Prasad, Deputy High Commissioner Vikram Misri, Vavuniya District Secretary P S M Charles and other officials. They also witnessed the distribution of stationary consignments sponsored by the Indian government and relief materials by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
In Jaffna, the Indian delegation addressed the public at the Duraiappah stadium yesterday (Sunday).
Addressing the gathering, T. R. Balu, the leader of the 10 member Indian parliamentary delegation said that the displaced people in camps in Vavuniya should be resettled early and a political solution to resolve the conflict be found soon.
Kanimozhi, daughter of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi while addressing the people of Jaffna said the displaced people should be reunited with their families and there should be no travel restriction on the people.
In last December, the former Sri Lankan Army chief Sarath Fonseka called the politicians in Tamil Nadu as “jokers” and said that the Congress-led Indian government would not listen to “the political jokers” in Tamil Nadu.
Jaffnaites snub delegation
A PTI news report said that scores of people queued up along the streets in Jaffna to welcome the visiting Tamil MPs.
But according to another news report the residents of Jaffna generally ignored the MPs from Tamil Nadu who visited them on Sunday.
Express news service quoted Jaffna sources and said that there were no spontaneous crowds to greet the MPs, though among the visitors was Kanimozhi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi’s daughter and a star in her own right. “If there was a crowd in some places, they were all followers of Social Welfare Minister and EPDP leader Douglas Devananda,” a resident claimed.
“What we saw today (on Sunday) was in sharp contrast to the scene which I witnessed in 1987 after the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord when the First Secretary in the Indian High Commission Hardip Singh Puri and the Defense Attache Capt Gupta visited Jaffna. There was not an inch of space between Tellipalai Junction and Jaffna town. The officials were stopped at many houses and served biscuits and cool drinks, which left them speechless!” recalled an old timer. Many residents felt that the visit of the MPs was both unnecessary and useless. The Tamil Nadu MPs should have come at the height of the war and stopped the slaughter, they opined.
In Jaffna, the general feeling is that India and Tamil Nadu have done little to ease the condition of the refugees as the camps do not meet some of the basic needs. The gifting of thousands of family packs by TN and the work of the Indian medical team have gone unnoticed, ENS said.
The Tamil Nadu jokers should stop playing with the lives of the Sri-lankan Tamils.