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Sri Lanka's East after liberation: Prospects and Challenges- SCOPP The Government of Sri Lanka has launched a comprehensive rebuilding programme for the recently liberated Eastern province. The Government is committed to holding local government elections in the East in November 2007 to get the local administration involved effectively in the development projects. The programme includes: Tsunami recovery Economic development, Full restoration of schooling facilities, Improving health services with the assistance of the World Health Organization Resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) according to internationally Accepted guidelines and standards, Development the livelihoods and infrastructure Improving the security situation including conducting de-mining operations and resettlement according to international standards including certification by the UNDP, improving the political situation order to build trust with the civilians of the Eastern Province. Under the 180 day Eastern Development programme, key government ministries will carry out a variety of activities in the East, which is aimed at providing administrative services to the people of the Province.   The Government’s Capability will determine the Future of the East Executive Summary Tsunami Recovery Many housing development programmes have been under way since the December 2004 Tsunami. The livelihood development programmes have taken place however there is a lack of equipment in the Province as a whole. The Economy The Province at present has unfavorable links with Sri Lanka’s economic hub; Colombo and a highly unstable political and security situation dominate both economic recovery and development. Long term investments have been lacking in the Province due to the conflict. Now however the Government has taken steps to drive investments in the East. Education The schools in the area were affected by both the tsunami and the conflict. Furthermore the schools which were not damaged were used as IDP shelters and therefore children were unable to attend schools for a long period of time. Currently all schools with the exception of 35 schools across Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara are fully operational and are attended by the students. The Grade 5 scholarship examination and Advanced Level Examination was held during August 2007.   Health WHO complements the Sri Lanka health system in the East. The Ampara Base Hospital was selected as the best hospital in the Asia Pacific Region by the Asia Pacific Quality Organization for 2007. There are many vacancies for Doctors to be filled in Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara. Allowances are provided for the orphans, disabled and widowed persons by Schemes initiated by the Government.   Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) The resettlement of the IDPs displaced due to the conflict in Sri Lanka began in June 2007 and several phases of the resettlement programme have been successfully completed. The resettlement has taken place according to internationally accepted guidelines and standards. The Government of Sri Lanka provides all the logistical support and essential services for all the IDPs. Additional support is provided by UN agencies (UNHCR) and other I/NGOs   Livelihoods In order to development the livelihoods in the East, the community infrastructure requires reconstruction. Currently most people in the Province are involved in casual employment. Fisheries and agriculture are the main livelihoods in the East.   Infrastructure A number of Government proposals to develop the roads and railways, the airports in Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara, water and sanitation systems and housing have begun under the 180 day Eastern Development Programme. International assistance has also been pledged for several development initiatives relating to infrastructure. Security Situation De-mining activities are on going and carried out to international standards. Resettlement is done once the UNDP certification is provided. Detailed de-mining reports are attached. The armed forces and the STF have taken all the measures to ensure the security of the people in the Province and those who visit the Province. Summary of incidents (killings, injuries and abductions) in the 3 Districts are included. Political Situation Several key Tamil Politicians have made visits to the East since its liberation. This is in order to build confidence with the people of the East and also promote non violent means to addressing the problems in Sri Lanka. The Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) seek to enter the main stream political arena. Civil Administration Under the 180 day Eastern Development programme, key Government Ministries will carry out a variety of activities in the East, which is aimed at providing administrative services to the people of the East. Local Government Elections are due to be held by the end of 2007. The Government’s Capability will determine the Future of the East Background The Eastern Province covers and area of 9,965 square kilometres, comprising around 16% of the total land area of Sri Lanka. The maximum length of the province is 286 km extending from Kumana in the south east to Pulmuddai in the north east. The maximum breadth from Ulhitiya in the western hinterland to Kirankulam in the eastern littoral is 89km. The province has a 420km coast line (Ampara 110km, Batticaloa 100km and Trincomalee 210km). It is the only province with three air ports, located at Trincomalee, Baticaloa and Ampara.   According to the 1981 census, Tamils, comprise 41%, Muslims 33% and Sinhalese 26% of the population. The Ratio of Tamils has since decreased with corresponding increases in the populations of the other communities. The administrative divisions of the Province are as follows: District No of Divisional Secretariat (DS) Divisions No of Grama Seva (GS) Divisions Trincomalee 11 230 Batticaloa 14 348 Ampara 20 507 Total 45 1085 Tsunami Recovery 35,322 people lost their lives across the island and the total material damage was estimated to be 4.5 of the GDP due to the tsunami which ravaged the country in December 2004. The Ampara district was one of the worst affected districts where more than 10,000 people died and 12,796 houses were raised to the ground. Approximately 12,407 houses were extensively damaged. Although many tsunami recovery projects are handling the housing projects, more than 7,500 families in Ampara district are still awaiting their houses. At present they are at the temporary houses or with their relatives. The education sector too was affected by the tsunami due to the extensive damage caused to an estimated 200 schools in the Province. The schools are now being re-constructed and a majority have been re-opened for further details see the Education Section below). An estimated 100,000 houses were damaged or destroyed. As a result, a number of housing programmes were initiated under two categories namely donor and owner driven. Most of the main economic sectors which were fisheries and agriculture were affected by the Tsunami. Fishermen have not received all the necessary equipment for fishing. Inland fishing also needs to be looked at carefully as this segment is not being properly exploited. Soil and water salinity are primary factors for slow recovery in the agricultural sector. The lack of fertilizer, seeds, and tractor and other machinery and equipment related to agriculture are major problems affecting agriculture. There is a great need for the government to provide reliable extension services in order to promote profitable agriculture and livestock outputs. The government initiated some financial assistance programmes under “Susahana Loan Scheme” and “National Development Trust Fund” but the people do not know how to obtain this assistance. In addition, they have attempted to obtain loans through state banks and they have failed because of their inability to provide security.   Many vulnerable families still have no plan for livelihood recovery. There should be a proper mechanism and monitoring procedure to see that all receive the necessary equipment to recommence all forms of livelihoods, and not only boats. Overall, the damaged infrastructure still hampers the recovery of all sectors of the Province’s economy. Infrastructure projects thus need to be implemented with a high priority in order to lay the foundation for economic recovery and development. Various Government and international donors with the I/NGOs and private relief operators in the aftermath of the Tsunami have planned and implemented Tsunami recovery and development programs and projects. Among other organisations RADA has supported the development of Divisional Livelihood Development Plans (DLDPs) in 43 Tsunami affected Divisions, in the Eastern Province aiming at: initiating a continuous and holistic planning process at Divisional level, integrating the voices of communities, the private sector, I/NGO’s, donors and Government, identifying gaps in Divisional livelihood recovery and develop activities / projects to fill them, and coordinating stakeholders and implementing agencies. The Province in general has several problems in relation to the social protection activities such as slow provision of permanent housing, lack of proper social security system for orphans, ignorance in the area of preschool development, and social mobilization programmes. Moreover, in some areas, many children have given up schooling. The specific problems encountered in social protection are: Identification of genuine beneficiaries, emergence of dependency syndrome and laziness, complex issues in relation to finding suitable guardians for orphans, absence of a proper system to provide financial and material supports for the affected children. The Economy The economic structure of the Eastern Province is characterised by its rural setting and proximity to beaches and ocean. However, the three Districts Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara, comparatively unfavourable links with the country’s main economic hub Colombo and the highly unstable political and security situation dominate both economic recovery and development. Reliable data on GDP and employment per sector are neither available at Provincial Secretariat, an educated guess suggests that the main economic activities of the districts are concentrated in the primary sector. Lacking long term investments in other sectors than trade, namely agro processing, manufacturing and tourism, the main economic sectors of the Division are:   1. Agriculture: 60% of the Eastern Community is involved in this sector. This sector mainly includes paddy cultivation, vegetable crops and livestock rearing such as cattle for milk, goats and poultry. It appears that paddy is not very productive due to reasons such as low productivity and Government regulated input/output prices. The new addition in the area is the maize cultivation and the government policy is to encourage maize for tobacco. The Government announced its new policy on agriculture “Api Wavamu- Rata Nagamu (Let’s Cultivate and Build the Nation) on the 3rd September 2007. Under this new policy government is focusing on the agriculture sector of the whole country and special emphasis is given to the East with this regard. This policy will enhance home gardening, cultivation of paddy and other crops such as maize coconut, promote locally produced organic fertilizer, skills development through advance training in abroad and presidential awards. Thus this policy will encourage youth to take to farming. Ministry of Agriculture Development and Agrarian Services Development has been tasked with spearheading this campaign. The goal of the programme is to reduce imports by 10% annually. The Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka signed an agreement with Kantale Plantation (Pvt) Limited. This is a 302 million project which will undertake cultivation of maize, soya, vegetables and fruits for the local market. This is to be located in Seenipura, Kantale Zone 1 and Udankaduwa. This project will create over 100 employment opportunities as well. The maize from this project will be supplied to Prima and will support 600 farmers. This is also serve as one import substitution as Sri Lanka imports 200,000 metric tones of maize per year. 2. Fisheries: Mainly based on coastal and multi-day ocean fishing. However, a substantial number of families are engaged in inland water fishing along the rivers (Verugal Aaru in Vaharai) and tanks. Regardless the Sea remains the livelihood for a vast majority of families in the province. The income is being focused then on cuttlefish, prawns lobsters sea fish and sea cucumber to the hotels within the province and other parts of the country. Now that fishing restrictions have been lifted (fishing in shallow sea from 4 am and 6 pm) it is important to concentrate on the marketing of the catch with proper policy initiatives and mechanisms on freezing (a mobile cool room was provided to Vaharai however are required in Batticaloa and Trincomalee), marketing and value addition to fishery products. 3. Industries: Industry sector is not visible in the Province other than the Vallachchenai Paper Mill in Batticaloa, Prima, Mitshui and ILOC in Trincomalee. Other than these building industry, coir industry, fish processing (drying), agro processing and rice, Palmyra weaving are the small scale industries in operation. Carpentry and dressmaking are the areas that need due consideration in terms of developing industries in the region. 4. Trade & Services: Small and localised retail trade, food stalls, restaurants, beauty parlours etc. were the trade and services in the region. 5. Tourism: Large numbers of devotees visit the sacred temple of Seruwila in the Trincomalee district. Many foreigners visited Arugambay in Tricomalee district during the surfing season. Many devotees trail (walk) from the North, Trincomalee District via Verugal Aaru, Batticaloa District to Kataragama in the South during the Kataragama festive season. A Tourist Guide Training Centre, developing high intensive tourism zone, community oriented river and beach based tourism projects are the potential new ventures in the region. In general issues relating to theses sectors are lack of funds, knowledge about the markets, inadequate use of technology, inequitable distribution of resources and poor infrastructure facilities. The building industry largely profited from the Tsunami reconstruction efforts and craftsmen of all kind are in high demand and undersupply. The biggest problem here is the low qualification and a lack of training institutes, standards and training curricula. According to the statistics available at the District Secretariats majority of the families in the Province receive a cash income of less than LKR 1,000 per month. About 10 % receives a monthly cash income of LKR 5,000 or more. This suggests that this Province consists of many poor people. Research needs to be conducted to explore how the lives of the people can be improved. Main livelihood in the affected GN Divisions includes fishing, agriculture and animal husbandry and related activities.   Education Formal Education: Education has come to normalcy in the province where the Government has successfully concluded the GCE O/L Examination in December 2006, the Grade 5 Scholarship examination on the 19th August 2007 and the GCE A/L in August 2007. However there are some schools in the province for example 11 in Trincomalee, 1 in Muttur, 8 in Kantale, 7 in Batticaloa, 3 in Kalkuda, 1 in Samanthurai, 3 in Mahaoya, and 1 in Dehiattakandiya which have been temporarily closed. The reason for this temporary is due to many reasons and not necessarily due to reasons directly related to the conflict. All other schools remain open and are attended by students. The quality of the education in the Province requires a needs assessment and the authorities at the Ministry of education have taken the necessary steps to initiate such an assessment. The school books, uniforms, other accessories are being provided by the government through the Ministry of Education. However some areas require immediate attention in terms of infrastructure development and filling the teacher vacancies. A recent study reveals that there are 2149 non-school going children. Out of this number, 542 children were admitted again to formal schools, 430 children were admitted to Activity Learning Centres, 761 children were admitted to literacy classes and the remaining 416 children are out of school. The attempt is to have the 430 children at Activity Learning Centres and 761 children attending Literacy Classes to be brought to formal schools, in due course. Vocational Training: A sum of LKR 534 million has been allocated for this year to develop the vocational training sector in the Eastern Province, under the Eastern Development Programme. This has been done by the Ministry of Vocational and Technical Training. The money will be used to open new training centres and also upgrade the existing ones. There will be 3 new vocational centres in Ampara (Ampara Central Camp, Nindavur and Samanthurai) and 1 in Batticaloa (Kalawanchikudi), which will consume a large sum of the allocated money. Health Facilities and Infrastructure : The World Health Organisation (WHO) has complemented Sri Lanka’s health service in general. In the eastern province there are a total of 110 health facilities (This includes District Hospitals, Base Hospitals, Provincial General Hospitals, Rural Hospitals, Special Campaign Hospitals, Central Dispensaries and Maternity homes). Regardless of the high number of health service centres, the Muttur and Vaharai hospitals are short of health care professionals. There are many vacancies for the position of Doctors in the 3 Districts which need to be filled immediately (Trincomalee-59, Batticaloa- 26 and Ampara -47). The problem here is the same as that faced by schools where many appointees do not take up their duties or they serve a very short period of time and get themselves transferred to other areas of the country. In order to overcome this obstacle a new recruitment policy has been put in place for the government service, which states that recruitment is to be from each region or province. The Ampara General Hospital has been selected as the best hospital in the Asia Pacific region by the Asia Pacific Quality Organization (APQO). This honour has been bestowed upon the Ampara General Hospital for the third consecutive year, under the healthcare category where winners were selected as best performers in eight areas of work. This award recognizes the Hospital’s world class performance and the highest honour relates to Sri Lanka being the only country in the Asia Pacific Region to be selected by the APQO. Socially Vulnerable Groups : The very poor, orphans, disabled, widowed, old and sick could be identified as socially vulnerable groups. Poor families are covered by the Samurdhi program. Another vulnerable group is covered by a monthly allowance scheme implemented by the Department of Social Service and other welfare organizations. The government provides institutional care for those orphans who need the most, the sick and elderly and pays small monthly living allowances to support such groups outside institutions. The Province has several problems in providing social protection to displaced children, orphans, widows and single parent families. Lack of well-designed social protection schemes is a major drawback in this regard. Humanitarian Intervention since 25 April 2006: The past decades of conflict have seen the areas controlled by the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE expand and shrink according to the vicissitudes of war. The littoral to the east of the Batticaloa lagoon, known as Eluvaankarai (Shore of the rising sun), has been generally under Government control. Likewise, the greater part of the hinterland to the west of the lagoon, known as “Paduvaankarai (shore of the setting sun), has been under LTTE control. The littoral is densely populated and heterogeneous interspersed with Tamil and Muslim villages. The hinterland is sparsely populated and homogeneously Tamil. The fortunes of the East have been tied up to the changing military strategies of different regimes at the centre. When Hon. Mahinda Rajapakse became President, the LTTE was in possession of more territory in the East. In the Trincomalee district the group controlled many areas north of Trincomalee Town and the greater part of Muttur and Eechilampattu divisions in the south. It also held a small portion of the Sinhala-dominated Seruwila division. In Batticaloa district, the LTTE controlled the territory in the hinterland to the west of the Batticaloa lagoon, the Vaharai region and also the Kudumbimali/Thoppigala areas. In the Ampara district the LTTE controlled the Kanchikudicharu-Rufuskulam jungle areas and the adjacent villages and made presence in the Lahugala and Pottuvil jungle areas. Thus in the East coast from Sampoor to Pannichankeny was dominated by the LTTE specially after signing the CFA. The President Rajapkashe’s was on national security. His military policy regained the East through the military intervention was focussing humanitarian assistance to people. Internally Displaced Persons Resettlement : Due to the recent humanitarian intervention in the Eastern Province displaced persons reached a number of 193,693 persons which comprised of 53,280 families. Of this number only 64,454 persons and 17,683 families remain to be resettled across the Eastern Province. However the Government made it clear to resettle them as early as possible thus started the resettlement programmes in June 2007 and was conducted according to the accepted international standards. The resettlement process was done in phases along with the de-mining process (for further details see Section on De-mining below) as the area was heavily mined by the LTTE. The Government took the burden in providing all the logistical services and essential items and the UN agencies and other I/NGOs made it a point to provide other relief items. The areas, food and nutrition, water supply, housing, livelihood support and road and transport, health and education, public service and religious activities have been taken in to consideration as a priority and have been given immediate attention. The total number of IDPs resettled and to be resettled is attached herewith. The numbers have being an issue as some agencies exaggerated the number by adding the total IDPs in the country to include those displaced by the tsunami, Muslims from the north, those displaced as a result of LTTE threats to the adjacent villages and IDPs due to the conflict before November 2005. Livelihoods One of the areas, which can generate a substantial amount of employment, is the community infrastructure reconstruction. As a large group of people have been engaged in casual employment in this province commencement of rehabilitation work in community infrastructure facilities can provide an opportunity to improve their livelihood by generating temporary employment. There are many small scale brick making sites already in the province in order to cater the demand in the area with an estimated 20,000 houses to be built in the Province. Other than that the needs assessments have clearly identified fisheries, agriculture and various types of small industries such as carpentry, tailoring, dressmaking could be encouraged as livelihoods for the people. Infrastructure Development Roads/Railway and Civil Aviation : National Physical Planning Development Ministry of Urban Development Ministry of Urban Development and Sacred Area Development focuses on six main areas of development in the Eastern Province . Thus the following projects have already been implemented with a new highway from Trincomalee to Ampara which will then connect all three districts and enhance trade and relations. Service Centre Development is intended to uplift the living conditions of the people so that economic activities could be revitalized at rural level (This plan will accommodate 214,000 families by 2010). Fifty five access roads in the Eastern Province have been identified for development and rehabilitation along with the rehabilitation of Irrigation networks and the development of the Batticaloa City. Further to these projects the UDSA has proposed four key development areas namely North Central Metro Region, Eastern Metro Region, Western Metro Region and Southern Metro Region. The North Central Metro Region focuses on the religious and cultural connotations, historical significance of the areas, the population movement towards the cities in the region and other issues upon which the plan is based. Four Metro cities will be designated in Anuradhapura, Trincomalee, Pollonnaruwa and Dambulla within the North Central Metro Region The China Bay air field has been developed for civilian landing and taking off. The government is in the process of developing all three airports in the three districts and plan to introduce commercial inland flying shortly. Water : China Geo Engineering Corporation /Salcon Engineering Ltd. signed a contract for US$ 37 million with the National Water Supply and Drainage Board on August 23rd for the design construction and completion of head works, water transmission and treatment plant for the Batticaloa Water Supply and Drainage Board funded by the Asian Development Bank. This project includes the construction of an Intake Pumping Station with a capacity of 100,000M3 per day. Raw Water Treatment Plant capacity of 40,000 M3 per day including Treated water Storage Tanks, Pumping Stations and Transmission mains .The Commencement of work is scheduled for September 2007 and due to be completed by March 2010. The Government inaugurated Stage 11 of the massive water supply project for Ampara on 2 September 2007. This project is aiming at pipe borne purified drinking water being supplied to a large section of the Ampara District. Financial assistance will be given by the Australian ANZ Bank in several stages. Stage 1 of the project commissioned in May 2002, provides water supply needs of the coastal zone while this new Stage (11) will cater to the land areas of the Ampara District. The estimated project cost is LKR 16,500 Million and includes Water Treatment Plants, Ducitile Iron Transmission Mains, Water Storage Sumps and Pump Houses, Elevated Water Towers and long distribution Pipe networks. In August 2007 the National Water Supply and Drainage Board presented a five year Development Plan for Water Supply and Sanitation Sector in the Eastern Province. Currently the capacity is: District Accessibility to safe drinking water (%) Accessibility to Sanitation (%) Accessibility to pipe borne water (%) Ampara 72.0 63.0 20.0 Trincomalee 72.0 46.0 33.4 Batticaloa 70 57.0 3.1 * Data from the Department of Census and Statistics.   The proposed plan will develop the capacity to: District Accessibility to Safe drinking water (%) by 2012 Accessibility to Sanitation (%) by 2012 Accessibility to pipe born water (%) 2012 Ampara 85 75 35 Trincomalee 85 60 40 Batticaloa 85 75 30 * Data from Department from Census and Statistics   A brief summary of the on going projects are attached here with. Housing and Other The summary of the housing situation is as follows: Housing: Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Requirement   District Conflict Affected Tsunami Affected Total Ampara 2000 11,470 13,470 Batticaloa 45,389 4,318 49,707 Trincomalee 27,284 4,139 31,423 Total 74,673 19,927 94,600   Housing Requirement by 2010   District Estimated Families by 2010 Housing Requirement by 2010 Ampara 178,420 23,916 Batticaloa 167,070 54,292 Trincomalee 109,725 28.346 Total 455,215 106,554   The World Bank has granted financial assistance (Rs 5.5 Billion, Ministry of Nation Building) to implement rehabilitation and reconstruction programmes in the areas in the East. This project will also cover the areas adjacent to the three districts of Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara. Thus Anuradhapura Pollonaruwa and Moneragala will also be benefited through this programme and thereby avoid becoming vulnerable to tensions and lawlessness. Under the “Nagenahira Navodaya” the government is encouraging new investors with special benefits to invest in the East. Ministry of Investment Promotion and Enterprise Development is the focal point in this regard. The uniqueness of the eastern province, its diverse culture and pluralistic society and the skilled and talented human resources will flourish through these projects. Harmony among communities will create a positive impact thus it is mandatory for such initiatives to go hand in hand with the development projects.   Security Situation De-mining : During the three decades aged conflict, the Eastern Province has experienced varied kinds of explosives including land mines of Anti Personal, Anti Tank Unexploded Ordnances (UXO) etc, extensively as defensive weapons. The CFA signed by the GOSL and LTTE resulted in Government to take steps to rehabilitate and resettle people in conflict affected areas with technical and financial assistance from many donors. The National Steering Committee for Mine Action (NSCMA) set in the Ministry of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development acts as the supreme body of the decision making for the National Mine Action Programme (NMAP). Nine mine clearing organisations are functioning in Sri Lanka at present. In the second quarter of 2007 the numerical figure of area cleared is 55,829,616 M2 (55.83 KM2) and 3,324 all types of devices (AT, AP, UXOs and Unknown) removed and the cumulative figure from 2002 reports, clearance of 128,992 840 M2 (128.99 KM2) and recovery of devices as 161,415 accordingly. People will be resettled once the certificates are issued by the UNDP after the de-mining process is completed, thus there has been a slow process of resettling people in certain areas in the Province . Other Security Issues : Apart from the above security issues some areas of the Province are under heavy attack by elephants thus creating a security issue. The solution is to resolve the elephant- human conflict in such a way the two can live in harmony. Thus the Government has taken initiatives to recreate certain areas as national parks and sanctuaries for the very existence of elephants and other species. The government has established several police stations in Vavunathivu, Aithiyamalai, Kokadicholai and Vaharai in the Batticaloa district and Sampoor in Trincomalee district. However there is tension and fear among the communities over sporadic attacks and killings of ex LTTE combatants (Karuna Amman and Pillayan fractions). The security forces specially the STF are doing their utmost to maintain law and order in the district and have tightened security Further there is tension among communities that the traditional Muslim areas are being subsided in the development plan and by the Sinhala resettlements in these areas. The Government has confirmed and assured to the pluralistic community in the East that their rights will not be violated in any manner. However the Government has taken responsibility to restore the damaged property of all religious places without giving priority to any one religion. To strengthen the Police presence in the east, the government introduced a new recruitment policy. This is to open the door for the youth of all three communities within area to serve in the Police force. The summary of the incidents (killings, injuries and abductions) in all 3 Districts is as follows:   Summary of Incidents- (Killings, Injuries, Abductions, and Missing Trincomalee (01 June2007 to 31 August 2007)     Killings Injuries Abductions Missing June 25 4 2 0 July 24 1 3 2 August 14 12 5 8       Summary of Incidents- (Killings, Injuries, Abductions, and Missing Ampara (01 June2007 to 31 August 2007)   Killing Injuries Abductions Missing June 15 18 2 0 July 3 8 0 0 August 9 29 0 2     Political Situation Some leaders of Tamil parties headed by the TULF leader Anandasangaree visited the east on 22 August 2007 for the first time in several years. PLOTE and EPRLF leaders and other important personalities were among those present. They met with several persons in the east and sought to promote democratic governance and non-violent means of resolving the problems in the country. The significance of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) is that it is working towards a political agenda as a result of the lessons learnt from their violent past and involvement with the LTTE and wish to be an agency of social transformation. It is hoped that this provides enough inspirations for the younger generation to turn to means of non violent conflict resolution. The former child soldiers have become political leaders, and therefore need training in good governance, civil administration, financial management, interpersonal skills and other related areas. This matter requires urgent attention on the part of the government. While the TMVP want the LTTE’s presence to be completely eliminated from the East of Sri Lanka (without any involvement on their part) and that to be maintained, it no longer wishes to indulge in any violent activities. In keeping with this new way of thinking, the TMVP has taken steps to walk down the path to main stream politics, by campaigning with the people in the East by handing out leaflets promoting their political cause. Civil Administration Initiatives have been taken by various Ministries to go into the area and attend to the development projects. The Ministry of Constitutional Affairs and National Integration with the support of the Ministry of Public Administration will under 3 Community Service Programmes be issuing birth and death certificates, marriage certificates, national identity cards, drivers licence, passports and land ownership documents during the next two months. The Ministry Officials are currently on preliminary visit to Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara making arrangements for the above mentioned work to begin next week. Civil administration can only be completed when the local government elections have been conducted with local participation. The TMVP has already taken initiatives in working with the people and building confidence in this regard. Language Policy Linguistic rights have been recognised as one of the key source of conflict, which has led to the armed conflict Tamil insurgency. Currently only 5% of the state sector are able to work in both Tamil and Sinhala languages. In the light of this, the need to implement the Official Languages Policy is of paramount importance. Thus all administrative work in the East is being done adhering to the Government’s language policy. Sign Boards and important documentation/forms (forms for the registration of boats and applications for example) are already being prepared in all three languages. Volunteers have been recruited for the Police stations Island wide as interpreters and translators. When full filling the vacancies in the Police Department in the East, the Government has given instructions to recruit from the people of the region who are conversant in at least two official languages of Sinhala and Tamil. The STF have also taken initiatives to arm their officers with knowledge of the Tamil language as well. This has helped immensely with the confidence building with the civilians. I/NGO There are more than 85 I/NGOs involved in the district attending to a variety of projects. These projects varied from capacity building to infrastructure development. The Ministry of Nation Building and the Ministry of Resettlement are working very closely with these organisations. There are new guide lines issued to all these organisations by the government, thus it avoids the duplication of work and assures safety of the personnel in the area. There are many local and foreign personnel working for the organisations. Many volunteer organisations have also taken a keen interest in certain humanitarian assistance. Conclusion The east has been liberated from terrorism. The province suffered for more than two decades thus needs special attention in reconstruction and rehabilitation of not only infrastructure and livelihoods but also of relationships that were broken or lost. Co- existence and co-habitation should be the main lines of thinking rather dividing the society further. Many new projects have been launched by the government focusing on the youth, religious groups, women, children and civil society. The main building blocks of the local economy of the Eastern Province as mentioned before are fisheries, agriculture and livestock, manufacturing, trade and services. Therefore due consideration needs to be given to develop and improve the relevant infrastructure facilities. The rehabilitation of damaged roads alone can generate a substantial amount of temporary employment. Water and sanitation and clearing of irrigation bunds and culverts also need priority as they are very important to maintain good health conditions in the area and also to improve agricultural activities, respectively. It must be kept in mind this Province contributed to the national GDP in a big way of 12% in the 80s did not have basic amenities even before the tsunami. Therefore, it is essential to introduce what is proposed in this plan and upgrade both social and economic life of the people in this Province. Before taking action it is paramount to properly identify the beneficiaries. The fishery sector can be strengthened by assisting fishermen with modern technology for fishing, funds to purchase necessary equipment, providing other infrastructure facilities such as storage facilities and also raising the awareness of fishermen about potential markets. Also it is important to encourage fresh water fishing, prawn farming and crab projects. The storage facilities and transportation is a must for the industry. In the agriculture sector, salinity problem still exists and hence it is very important for the Ministry of Agriculture to address this problem and take some remedial measures. Providing financial assistance, quality seeds, subsidized fertilizer and proper extension services are major activities to be taken to improve the production and productivity in this sector. Dairy production as well as goat and poultry rearing can be further developed in the Province. The availability of coconut, palmyrah and the coir industry are other areas which require attention in terms of financial support and technical know-how. Maize, vegetables and paddy allows for the development of agro industries utilizing these inputs. Fish processing, boat building and repairs, cashew cultivation project, rice milling and coir industry are being identified as new sectors that can be introduced thus needs financial and technical assistance. New houses, roads and electricity supply (for the first time in certain areas) have come up through government and other donor programmes. Most Muslim and Tamil families who have fled the area have now returned. Children are attending schools where some of them were not attending schools for the last five to six years. The children were sent to safer regions due to the fear of abduction and forcible recruitment by the LTTE. The land is fertile and water is in abundance, if only there is a proper irrigation system the province would make a come back as the agricultural province. The government is looking for rapid development programmes, medium term projects and long term projects in terms of infrastructure and development. However community development, education, cultural and religious initiatives are the key sectors on day to day dealings. Many foreigners, aid workers, government officials, journalists, I/NGOs have visited the east in the recent past. Some ministers have been heavily involved in the development projects and as a result spent a majority of their time traveling in the East. The armed forces have assured their security apart from some incidents which took place where the LTTE were present. Ministry of Defence has made it clear that any one can go to the east and has encourage everyone who is involved in the Eastern development to visit the areas to gain a better understanding of the ground reality. Aid work in the east has not been suspended. Security is being assured by the defence services in the east, hence civilians can move freely, however for their own protection there are some security measures that are being implemented which will be relaxed further in time to come. The military has appointed Civil Affairs Officers in all the divisions in the east for better liaison and corporation between the military and the civilians and also intend to establish a separate Directorate for civil military relations at the Ministry of Defence. The security forces are continuing their strong presence in the East despite the fact that their services are required to liberate Wanni. They are becoming popular in their affairs with the communities. Ministry of Defence coordinates meetings with the Ministry of Public Affairs in order to address the issues in the east with all the Ministries. These meetings are being attended by Presidential Advisors, the Governor of the Eastern Province, Government Agents of the three Districts and Secretaries to the Ministries. Finally the Government is committed to have the development in the East take place with the participation of the people in the East thus intends to have local government elections in the east in November 2007 in order to get the local administration involved effectively in the development projects. Following the manner in which the east was being liberated and has been regaining its long standing reputation as the “bread basket of the country.” The people of the Wanni are also waiting to be liberated from the clutches of the LTTE.