Tsunami in Matara

M.M.RAZICK (TSUNAMI VICTIM FROM MATARA)

Now the main problem faced by the tsunami victims is settling down in thier own abode. Since the tsunami attack the authorities in confusion had taken a haphazard dicesion regarding the distance at which the people should put up their houses. The authorities never thought about the humanitarian aspects of the affected people. They never had a discourse with the people and asked them where they should like to live. Istead the idiotic and selfish political leaders decided to evacuate the people from their own lands where they had been living for the last so many generations to far away places. If this plan is implemented many are going to loose their livelihood. And we are going to loose the valuable beach. How are the fishermen going to continue their industry? How are the other business people going to continue with their trade?

Affected people are more shocked than the tsunami attack. They have no fear to live in their same old places where some of them lost their own kith and kin. They say the tsunami which came on the 26th December was a stranger. Now, they say, tsunami is no more a stranger. They say that they know how to face it. So the authorities can consult countries where tsunami is a common occurence and devise plans to warn the people beforehand.

The affected people along the sea coast of Matara are waiting to settle down in their same old places. International organisations have come forward to help to build or repair their houses. But they are hesitant because of the 100m rule. It is true that the 100m rule is only a derective from the Prsidential Secretariat. It is still not a law. Why does the foolish authorities who were never affected by the tsunami trying to make the problem of resettlement worst. If the authorities had not spoken any thing about the distance rule and had asked the victims, if they like, to go back to their places, by this time life in most of the affected areas would have become normal. I with other victims in this area hope that the authorities would rethink about this problem and help to free themselves from the shock they have inflicted on the victims.