ALL IN THE NAME OF SECURIITY FOR?

After a period of more than a year, I visited Jaffna on the 28th June, 2007. The situation is totally different from what I have experienced during the last four years. The new experience has created in me lot of anger, frustration and helplessness.
I was asked to report to the air port at 10 am. I traveled by JRS vehicle and on the Ratmalana Air port road, I was stopped and the vehicle was sent back by the army security personal. In the road check point the tickets and the luggage were checked thoroughly and we were asked to hand over the cell phones and the cameras. After that we were boarded in the army bus. The army bus took us to the Airport. In the air port again the same process continued by the air force. We got into the aircraft only around 2.30 pm. We reached Palaly air port around 3.45 pm. In Palaly airport, we were interviewed personally and photographed by the air force. We were boarded in a small 16 seater mini bus with windows closed and painted red color. Around 40 of us traveled for 30 minutes to reach beyond the High Security zone. From there we were boarded into another bus. This bus took us to the Jaffna town. It was almost 6. Pm. Most of them were scared and they wanted to leave the town immediately because the curfew start at 7 pm. In my case and some others we did not receive our luggage.
“The message is clear, you are not wanted, you are not our people and you are our enemy. Most of their behaviors are tuned to humiliate you and make you feel miserable” After 7 pm you are a prisoner in your own house.
The next day morning around 6.30 am we left for Chahavacheri. The road leading to the church was blocked and there was rounding up operation. “The round up operation: The army cordoned the whole area and checks all the inmates of the houses and then they were brought to a ground and identity parade in front of some people with mask. The masked man if they nod their head when some body is passing him, he is taken by the army.”
In Chahavacheri we met JRS teachers of that area and evaluated our education work. From there we went to visit our education project site near Muhamalai point. Since the school is inside the High Security Zone, the students have no place so the teachers conduct the classes in the church, houses and under the trees.

JRS has put up a semi permanent hall for the class room. The staffs and the students were so happy when we went to inaugurate the building. Now at least they have decent place to sit and study.
We are also conducting pre school for the children. JRS has taken care of the children with nutritious meal and supplied uniforms.

The place was volatile when we passed Chahavacheri there was a claymore attack, luckily no body was injured and we saw two holy family sisters moving for safety and we took them in our van and reached them to their convent.
From there we traveled to Manalkaddu welfare camp, the houses of these people are occupied by the army and the people are kept in the camp. The access to this camp was completely denied to all the NGO’s and outsiders. We went in as priests and supervised our education work in the camps.
The time was almost 4 pm and we decided to cancel the next program, meeting the widow’s development unit, since the army conveys starts around 4.30 pm. If we were caught in the road we had to wait for another two hours and then the curfew and we may not reach our house at all.
On the 30th we traveled towards Point Pedro to meet the widows and the scholarship children. These are the widows who have lost their husband during the lost six months. They were all shot dead by the army or by the riders of the field bike.

“The term field bike is very common in Jaffna. One can see the bikes very common in the Jaffna road without any number plates. The residents of Jaffna are really afraid of these riders in the field bike. No body knows who these people are?. People have seen these bikes moving in and out of the army camps.”
In our meeting one of the widows shared with us how her husband was shot dead. “We were traveling in a bicycle with our two year old child. We heard the bike sound and the next thing we heard was the bullet sound and it ripped open the head of my child and the next bullet hit my husband and both of them died on the spot. All these happened with in few seconds and there was no trace of the bike.” There are so many cases like that and still there tears have not dried from their eyes. I could do nothing except listening to them and crying to Lord, Lord why have you forsaken these people?
During the five days of my stay more than 8 people were shot dead. In the day light and in public the petrol station owner and his son were shot dead in the main road close to the army camp. I don’t think we can record all the human rights violations in Jaffna. Most of the NGO’s have left Jaffna, only the church groups and UN groups are doing some work.

After that we visited some of the education projects. This is one of our children home in Achuveli where we keep the orphan children. As it is taken care by the Apostolic Carmel sisters the children are happy and doing well.

In spite of the security problem some 80 young girls attended the follow up meeting of our Life Skill Center. Two of our girls have lost their life. One died of shelling and the other lost her life when trying to save her husband from the bullet. We have to learn from these girls how to live in the midst of adversity. Their courage and convictions are beyond our expectations. Fifteen of these girls work with us in our production center to make nutritious meal and to stitch uniforms. Another 100 young girls are benefited through our 4 tailoring centers.
We also had the chance to meet our JRS teachers and a staff from the education department. The staff from the education department shared with us the reality of the situation and his insights about one Divisional area of Jaffna.
• Instead of 196 school days the most of the schools functioned only for 90 days
• Because of round up and convey movements teachers do not come to the school regularly.
• There are 87 pre schools in one Division with 140 teachers and only one Pre School has good building.
• Lack of facilities and stationeries.
• Only 18 % passed in the English in the O/L examination. The percentage of pass in science and math’s also very less.
• No evening tuition centers
• At times the teachers attended school in nightie because there was no soap to wash their saris.
• There are 11 displaced schools now operating in houses, sheds and churches.
• It is systematic and planned way of destroying our education system
• JRS accompanying the education of these children is a great strength for us.

People are slaves in their own land. Every day 10 hours curfew and 4 hours army convey and 14 hours of your time has been stolen by some body else. They are angry and frustrated because they are not the masters of their own destiny. Any body moving out of Jaffna has to get army clearance and it is not easy get it. People and children are very submissive out side but very violent in the houses and schools. People are seeing in front of their own eyes the much valued culture and education are getting destroyed. The once so called great Jaffna culture is disintegrating. This is what the present government wanted to achieve and I hope in a few years they will do it successfully. Every body including the bishop, priests and the intellectuals feel it but unable to do anything to stop it. The situation is eating your bones and making you sick. What the future holds for Jaffna?
God only knows.