{"id":97799,"date":"2020-01-15T17:02:25","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T00:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=97799"},"modified":"2020-01-15T17:02:25","modified_gmt":"2020-01-16T00:02:25","slug":"erasing-the-eelam-victory-part-11-d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/01\/15\/erasing-the-eelam-victory-part-11-d\/","title":{"rendered":"ERASING THE EELAM VICTORY Part 11 D"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Military\npersonnel, stationed in the North, are often perplexed when told that their\ncontinued presence is objectionable to the local population. Their experience\nis different. When they ask the people about their presence, the answer they\nreceive is a positive one whether in term of preserving law and order or in\nterms of providing material assistance. No civilian population in a post-war\nsetting would be willing to tell uniformed military personnel that their\ncontinued presence is objectionable, but in this case, they may be telling the\ntruth, observed Jehan Perera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Over 200 Police officers, who had received\ntheir annual transfers in 2019 having served in the Jaffna Peninsula over the\npast two years, asked that their transfers be cancelled and they be allowed to\ncontinue in the North. The transfers were cancelled. Another 53 had also wanted\ntheir transfers cancelled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Earlier, 177 police officers who had completed\ntheir two year service tenure in the North and had received transfers had written\nto DIG requesting that their transfers be cancelled and they be allowed to\nserve further. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Altogether, around 220 police officers serving\nin the North have expressed their desire to continue serving in the North, once\ntheir two year service period was over, said DIG. This is a great change from\nprevious years when no one wanted to serve in the North,\u201d This is a result of\nthe growing cordiality between the people of the North and those from the\nsouth,   DIG said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\ntelevision journalist had told Jehan Perera in 2018 that he had gone to Jaffna\non a private assignment to cover a wedding.  Jaffna people had welcomed him and said that they\npreferred the Sri Lankan army stationed in the north rather than the police. The\narmy sets up a system of checkpoints and criminals stayed away as they risked\nbeing shot at by the army. On the other hand, now that the lightly armed police\nhave replaced the army the criminals are no longer afraid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In December 2018, the residents of Tirukkovil\n(Ampara district) held a protest opposite the kovil against moves to remove the\narmy camp in the area. TNA MP K.Kodeeswaran has requested President Sirisena to\ndismantle the army camp for the construction of a playground. The residents\nhanded over a memorandum to the Brigadier in charge, requesting the army to\ncontinue the camp. The presence of the army had deterred the drug addicts. By\nremoving the camp there was a possibility of drug menace spreading further. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lt. Col. Ratnapriya Bandu, commanding officer\nof the Civil Defence Force in Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi and Jaffna was transferred\nfrom Jaffna in 2018. Mano Ganesan said that ex-LTTErs from these districts had\nmet him and tearfully pleaded with him to delay the transfer of   Lt Bandu, who had already served five years\nin the area. He delayed the officer\u2019s\ntransfer by a few months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Lt Bandu departed, he was given a moving\nfarewell by the people in Vishvamadu, a former LTTE stronghold in Kilinochchi. Young\nand old, men and women, including rehabilitated ex-LTTE cadres had become\nemotional when he bid adieu, reported the media.  Former LTTE cadres carried Lt. Col. Bandu on\ntheir shoulders up to the reception hall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The TNA was very critical of this\nfarewell.  They had in any case objected\nto the army trying to enlist former rehabilitated members of the LTTE to the CDF.\nThe project was in addition to the recruitment of Tamil speaking youth to the\nArmy. They realized the danger in the government project and reacted strongly\nto former LTTE combatants joining the CDF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

N.A. de S Amaratunga\nsaid that If the people in  the north\nhad  believed that the armed forces\ncommitted war crimes against their people they would not shed tears and react\nthe way they did when they bid farewell to Lt Bandu. They would not have\ncooperated with him, either. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lt. Col. Bandu commanded the CDF in three\ndistricts for over five years, starting in 2012.He was given two weeks to\nrecruit 100 people, men and women, to the CDF to solve the severe unemployment\nproblem in the three districts. At that time no one was willing to join the\nCDF.  One hundred eventually grew to a\nforce of 3,500 CDF personnel, turning it into the most sought After state\ninstitution for employment with a waiting list of over 15,000 people from the\nthree districts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 When I first assumed duties in\nSeptember 2012, people, especially those in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu, didn\u2019t\nhave a leadership. They were a neglected lot and left astray. They looked at\nme, a uniformed man, very suspiciously. But, I changed my style of command, Lt.\nCol. Bandu said. I studied about their culture, lifestyles, food habits,\nbehaviour, religion, rituals and even the leadership styles of their former\nleaders including V. Prabhakaran.  As he\nwanted them to feel that he also belonged to the Tamil society in those areas,\nhe had changed his outfit to match a South Indian and wore dark glasses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lt. Col. Bandu said that when their own\nsociety rejected the ex-LTTE cadres, they turned to the CDF or army for help.\nUnemployed, uneducated and with no skills, most of the rehabilitated\nex-LTTEers didn\u2019t get respect, trust and help from the people around them. We\nhelped them to stand on their own feet by recruiting them into the CDF. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over 90% of the people, especially in\nKilinochchi and Mullaitivu were strongly connected with the LTTE but we never\ndug into their past. They were struggling to forget their past and need help,\u201d\nhe noted. Eventually, lots of people\ncame to the CDF office seeking support for various issues even for marital\nissues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ARMY ASSISTANCE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the Eelam\nwar was won, the military was made to carry out development projects for the\ndefeated citizens. We had to show the Tamils that we were the protectors of\nthe people, though we fought the LTTE,\u201d said Major General Haturusinghe in\ninterview in 2013. We have given\npriority to the Tamils in the resettlement programme. Resettlement of Sinhalese\ncame second.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the rest of\nthe country has resumed their lives and have left the pain of war far behind,\nbeing nine years since it ended, some are still suffering in IDP camps, which\nis definitely not fair, said Jaffna\nSecurity Force Headquarters Commander Maj. Gen. Dharshana Hettiarachchi   in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of these\ninnocent people have been living in IDP camps for over 28 years and they too\nhave a right to return to their lands and rebuild their lives and live a normal\nlife. It is not fair to allow them to suffer any further while the majority of\nthe country has long forgotten the effects of the war.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“They\nare poor and innocent people and I felt that I should do my utmost best for their\nwelfare as a Buddhist, let alone being the Northern Commander, it was my duty\nto dispense my duties to keep them happy,” said an emotional Major General\nDarshana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defence Secretary\nKamal Gunaratne pointed out in 2019  that\nthe Security Forces assist people in the Northern and Eastern Provinces  in many ways, such as providing them\ntransportation and educational services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are\nsome   services provided by the armed\nservices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The army\nbuilt houses <\/strong>using funds from local\nand foreign donors. By 2013 the army had built 17,878 houses using NGO funds. Each house was worth Rs 370,000. Where it\nwas not possible to build on the original land, the houses were built close to\nit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, a\nnew housing complex, an extension of the Keeramalai Housing Project, was\ncompleted in 60 days by the armed forces who \u2018toiled day and night\u2019. Each house\nwas constructed on a 20-perch land block, it consists of two bed rooms, living\nand dining area, kitchen, toilet and a bathroom   and cost Rs 1 million. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2018 army completed\nand handed over25 houses at Keeramalai, 30 on lands purchased by the\nResettlement Minister in Wanatha villu. At the request of the kovil authorities\narmy also constructed six residential houses for kurukkal (priests) in\nKaraingar, Jaffna. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019 Gajaba\nregiment of the Vanni security forces  \nprovided 10 houses in Kilinochchi.  In 2019, Army also handed over the 699th and\n700th<\/sup> house at Karaveddi and Point Pedro. Soldiers of Jaffna HQ\nhanded over a house to a poor family  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The army also\nassisted persons to build their house. Troops in Jaffna had helped those in\nTellippalai to build their houses. The assistance by troops gave a great relief\nto the families to save their money and spend on purchasing building materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The army did much\nfor secondary<\/strong> education<\/strong>. The army built three storied new building for Telippalai\nMahajana College, costing around 25 million, funded by Ken Balendra,  also a school in Kopai with money from Uva\nProvincial Council.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Urani Primary\nSchool, occupied for over 27 years by the military for security reasons, was\nreturned to the school in 2017.  A block\nof 2.75 acres, belonging to the Kalaimagal Vidyalayam, Myliddy North was also\nreturned. The Jaffna Commander pledged\nassistance to completely renovate the school and distributed gift parcels of\nbooks to more than 200 students of the school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We gave scholarships to school children, using\npersonal contacts and well-wishers. We have given more than 5000-6000 scholarships;\nthe army said in 2013.  At Christmas 2013,\nthe army gave scholarships to 689 students in Kilinochchi. Three imported\nprofessional racing bicycles, 250 school bags, and 500 solar energy CFL bulbs were\ndistributed among school children. In 2014, the Army had a scholarship\nprogramme in Kilinochchi; to which companies and individuals contributed, army personnel\nalso contributed a little amount monthly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nSecurity Force Headquarters – Jaffna (SFHQ-J had distributed more than 400\nbicycles to students to help those who lived in remote areas get to school. These\nwere funded by local and expatriate well-wishers  such as Mast Industries Far East Ltd. On\ntwo occasions, parents accompanying the students  receiving these bicycles  were given jak, coconut, and breadfruit\nsaplings as a part of the SFHQ-J\u2019s ongoing tree-planting drive in the\npeninsula. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 In 2019 army helped to take flood marooned O\nlevel students from Kilinochchi to exam centers elsewhere by tractors and\nboats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Navy\ncompleted 13 delayed health<\/strong> projects\nwithin a period of 10 months in 2017.  The Army was the major blood donor in Jaffna.\nThere was a monthly requirement of around 300 pints of blood. About 80% of this\nwas met by the army soldiers.  Army\nTroops organized an eye clinic in Jaffna  \nin Selvapuram, at the Selvapuram Church and gifted eye glasses in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2013 that a\npatient with the serious heart condition was treated in India for an operation,\nat the cost of two lakhs, she was airlifted there. Two other children of LTTE\nfamilies were airlifted to Colombo for treatment, all three are fine now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, the\narmy  saved the lives of three Tamil\nchildren having heart disease ,Kajnthini, Sathos and Apisha, from Erlali,\nUrumpirai, and Puttur east respectively,. In the case of Santhos the parents\ncontacted the army despite the strong protest of their neighbors.   For Kajnthini, the 511 brigade obtained\nfunds from a Tamil engineer who had helped them before. The surgeon did\nnot charge and the hospital only charged for the valves for Kajnthini. All\nother expenses were borne by 511 brigade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Army  assisted with livelihood projects<\/strong> such as poultry, home gardens. Soldiers  also helped \nto cultivate and prepare the land. The army donated 15 sewing machines\nto female ex-combatants to assist them in self-employment opportunities. They\nconstructed trade stalls in Sathurukondan area.  Palmyra Ingenuity, 2017\u2019 exhibition was\norganised by the Jaffna Security Force Headquarters in collaboration with the\nMinistry of Technology and Research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soldiers from Gemunu Watch cleaned up\nNedunkulam and Vettikulam tanks.<\/strong>  Soldiers helped reconstruct tank Periyakulam\nirrigation tank in Araly North which has been abandoned for decades.It is the\nlargest tank in Jaffna, and provides water for about 800 acres in Araly North. The\nbund of Pudukulam tank in Kulikuttikulam, Vavuniya\nwas destroyed by rain. Vavuniya army had rushed there and placed sand bags. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abus halt<\/strong> was constructed by Sri Lanka Navy\nin front of the Roman Catholic Tamil School at Pier in Talaimannar with the\nfinancial assistance provided by Saku and Ann Nagendran residing in USA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Troops of\nSecurity Forces Headquarters -Jaffna (SFHQ-J) started a project to provide\nrelief to people facing water<\/strong>\nshortage in the Jaffna Peninsula covering the Navatkuli and Kovilkandi areas. Troops \nplaced water storage tanks in several locations in the drought-hit areas\nand supplied water by using bowsers. This benefitted over 10,000 people in the area.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The  navy helped in the annual  Festival of Sri Nagapoosani Amman Temple<\/strong> in Nainativu Island. Navy assisted in\nnumerous ways providing sea transportation for VIPs, coordinating the ferry\nservice between Kurikadduwan and Nainativu, providing drinking water for\ndevotees, arranging safe bathing locations, life-saving assistance for\ndevotees, and providing pier security and security checks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2013 the\nmedia announced that the largest Christmas<\/strong>\ntree in Asia will be installed at Kilinochchi. Over 75 soldiers were at work on\nit. Christmas celebrations will be conducted in a grand scale there by the\narmed forces. In 2018 Christmas was celebrated in grand style in the North\nunder the organizing efforts of the Jaffna Security Force Headquarters. The\nJaffna Bishop and several other dignitaries participated in the Christmas\ncelebrations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Security\nForce Headquarters – Jaffna (SFHQ-J) launched several community-oriented projects<\/strong> in collaboration with the Daham Pahana\nprogramme Daham Pahana was founded by Rev. Bro. Charles Thomas. Under the programme,\n100 bicycles, 2,000 coconut seedlings and four artificiallimbs were distributed, cornerstones were laid for the\nconstruction of two new houses for low-income families in Kayts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The  army pointed out the services provided by the\nMullikulam  army camp, situated in the\nWilpattu reserve belonging to the Wildlife Conservation Department. There is a\nRoman Catholic Church as well as a Roman Catholic Tamil school in the area\ncoming under the purview of the navy and 87 acres have been released for the\nschool and the church. The police and the Navy have provided access roads,\nelectricity, transport and clean drinking water for the residents using the\nschool and the church. The navy took the initiative to recruit six teachers for\nthe school. For the use of those resettled in the area, 27 houses have been\nbuilt by the Navy, 134  more houses  under the Indian Credit line, 26 houses for\nthe Ministry of Resettlement.                                                \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A food festival\nwas  organised in Jaffna under the Army\u2019s\nreconciliation promotion drive, including various dishes from every region of\nthe country. This gave the Jaffna residents a chance to taste food from every\nother region in the country. (continued)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS Military personnel, stationed in the North, are often perplexed when told that their continued presence is objectionable to the local population. Their experience is different. When they ask the people about their presence, the answer they receive is a positive one whether in term of preserving law and order or in terms of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97799"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97799\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}