Jaffna IDPs in welfare centers to be resettled before 2022

o solution for over 3,000 IDP families living with friends, relatives All internally displaced persons (IDPs) currently living in welfare centres within the district of Jaffna are scheduled to be resettled before the end of the year, The Morning learnt. The Jaffna District Secretariat, together with the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, is aiming to resettle all IDPs presently accommodated in welfare centres in the Jaffna district within the course of this year. “There are currently 409 families living in approximately 23 welfare centres in the district. We hope to resettle all of them within this year,” Jaffna District Secretary Kanapathipillai Mahesan told The Morning yesterday (8). Mahesan further said that the issue of procuring land for the families is the biggest barrier to resettlement. This, he added, is due to a lack of available State lands and the cost of private lands. As such, earlier this month, the Cabinet of Ministers had approved a resolution submitted by the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing to purchase up to 20 perches of land per family for 233 internally displaced families in the Jaffna district. Speaking to The Morning yesterday, Jaffna Additional District Secretary S. Muralitharan said that 22 of the 233 families would be able to obtain their lands next week, whilst 53 families have identified the lands they want, which the Valuation Department is at present assessing. Muralitharan said that land for these 75 families would be ready this month, after which the construction of the houses would take approximately five months. Additionally, the remaining 158 families have been asked to identify the lands which they wish to procure following which the Government-mandated valuation would proceed and purchase could take place by June this year. Muralitharan further said that from the aforementioned 409 families, 90 possessed their own lands, 86 had obtained lands through the Government last year and were awaiting the completion of the construction of their houses, while the remaining 233 would be able to obtain lands through the most recent Cabinet approval. Muralitharan also said that although 90 families have their own lands, these are currently being used by the Tri-Forces, and that therefore, the District Secretariat is expecting alternative solutions in this regard from the Government within the course of this year. However, Muralitharan told The Morning that he is hopeful that the issue would be resolved for all 409 families within this year. Ministry of Urban Development and Housing Secretary Nimal Perera was not available for comment when contacted regarding the alternative solutions that would be provided for the 90 families. According to the Jaffna District Secretariat, since 2009 38,025 families (122,140) were resettled, of which 117,151 were IDPs and 4,989 were Sri Lankan refugee returnees from India (Sri Lankans who left for India during the conflict period and have now returned to Sri Lanka). Meanwhile, the Jaffna Social Action Centre (JSAC) told The Morning that resettled families often face problems of poverty which lead to many social issues such as drug addiction and gender-based violence. In Sri Lanka, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) monitors and assists 25,110 IDPs. Additionally, Muralitharan also said that there are 3,056 internally displaced families currently living with friends and relatives who have not received solutions either.

The Sabapathi Welfare camp IDPs' Joint Prayer was stopped by unknown persons' intervention on 5th Sep 2014 in Jaffna

The Sabapathi Welfare camp IDPs have organized a Joint Prayer on 5th Sep 2014 around 03.00pm in Jaffna northern province of Sri Lanka, thus the intervention of unknown persons the organizers stopped the event. some of the villagers are working against to the IDPs in order to gain economic benefits so the poor marginalized IDPs are still suffering in the welfare camps. at the same time people are living under the threat in this camp, this situation lead the people to be quite. some unknown persons threatened them to remove the stage which was proposed to hold the joint prayer.

 

Sabapathi welfare camp people have handed over a petition to the Administartive Officer of the District Secretariat in Jaffna on 05th Sep, 2014

Sabapathi welfare camp people have handed over a petition to the Administartive Officer of the District Secretariat in Jaffna. The IDPs mentioned in the petition that they need at least a basic facilities until they resettle in their own places. at this moment , the Internal Displaced persons do not have enough drinking water or toilets as well as their temporary huts were broken so those should be built again.Praja Abhilasha coordinator and the Women coordinator and PPD coordinator of National Fisheries Solidarity Movement were present for the event. National Fisheries Solidarity Movement took initiatives for this event.

Government plans to release another 10,000 IDPs by this week from Vavuniya Camps - Chandrasiri

[ Monday, 14 September 2009, 10:51.23 AM GMT +05:30 ]Lankasri

Sri Lankan government is planning to resettle the people displaced from the areas west of the A-9 Kandy-Jaffna highway first before tackling the eastern areas of Wanni region as the demining in Mannar and Kilinochchi areas are coming to a completion with the recent addition of 10 automatic demining machines to the mine clearing operations.

In an interview to the local daily, Island, the Northern Province Governor Major General (retd) G. A. Chandrasiri has said that the army and five demining agencies had been engaged in mine clearing operations in the Giant Tank (Yoda Wewa) area in Mannar District. According to Army officials clearing the eastern region of Wanni would be a daunting task due to the heavy mining by the fleeing LTTE rebels. The soldiers engaged in clearing operations in the areas of Puthukkudyiruppu and Mullaitivu are still recovering massive stockpiles of buried arms and explosives.

The Governor hopes that an area of about 7,000 acres north of Giant Tank could be cleared by the third week of October. By the end of October approximately 14,000 acres would be ready to receive civilians, both south (South of the Vavuniya-Mannar main road) and north of Yodawewa, the Island reported. The area, known as the "rice bowl" of the region provided the main livelihood of the residents in the area before the military offensive. The military brought the area, which mainly consists of the Island's most fertile paddy fields, under its control in July 2008. The majority of the displaced from this area was Muslims chased away by the LTTE.
The governor of Northern Province said that about 5,000 people have been released from the camps in Jaffna leaving about another 5,000 at the camps.

According to Major General Chandrasiri, the government plans to release another 10,000 IDPs by end of this week from the camps in Vavuniya. This will reduce the total number of IDPs in the welfare camps to about 237,000, he said.

In the name of rehabilitation, displaced people are transferred to other camps

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A portion of the displaced people from Trincomalee were sheltered in Batticaloa camps, had been transferred to Kilivetti internment camps.
According to this arrangement, 122 persons from 37 families who had been sheltered in the second Sri Lankan Camp located at Sathurukondan, Batticaloa were sent by six Sri Lanka transport buses was according to information received from news reporters.

The native place of the displaced persons was Samboor, Trincomalee, but without rehabilitating them in their desired birth places, they are transferred to such internment camps, which have created massive inconveniences to the displaced persons was stated.

Source: Lankasri.com [ Wednesday, 15 July 2009]

Thenmarachchi people insist for rehabilitation

The displaced people in Thenmarachchi areas, during the year 1999 confrontations, request for rehabilitation. In this connection, an appeal letter has been forwarded by them to Sri Lanka government Officers and International Humanitarian Organization Administrative officers.
The displaced people has alleged, even though landmines are excavated in their villages, the defense sector is not granting them for rehabilitation in their native villages. 170 families from Thanankilappu, 150 families from Maravanprua and Kaithadi and Nawatkuli 250 families were displaced during the year 1999. Out of this, 35 families from Karavanpura and 200 families from Kaithadi had been rehabilitated.

According to speculation, the forces have forcibily taken over 5000 acres of land which produces half portion of paddy in Jaffna. Meanwhile, due to the closure of Thanankilappu roadway at Nunavil, people are spending more time for their travelling was stated.

Source : Lankasri.com

War-displaced people in refugee camps

This is the most crucial issue in the North East region of the country. The living of the people are so pathetic and they are hopeless. The people have lost their social values and have been neglected. A series of social problems are emerging. Poverty is a multifaceted issue in these villages, and cannot be captured in one measurement or indicator. Communities adversely affected by poverty frequently suffer from lower standards of living manifesting itself in dilapidated infrastructure, poor area management, inadequate public services (i.e. water supply, sanitation, emergency services) and general lack of basic needs

The poor, already vulnerable during fair economic and social periods, are especially at risk during times of crisis and recovery. The incapacities and/or lack of resources which existed before such shocks often intensify their situations directly following a crisis and well into the time afterwards. Death of a family member, injury to the main income earner, sickness, loss of physical capital such housing, transportation, or equipment for production all take a severe toll on the ability of those at or around the poverty line to recover from shocks.