NEWSLETTERSri Lanka |
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Praja Abhilasha Land Campaign Development Continues
As Sri Lanka transitions from a country at war to one of potential reconciliation and development, we of Praja Abhilasha realize that the death of the top LTTE leaders and the capturing of LTTE land in the north and east are not enough to achieve this goal. |
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Those who have been internally displaced, due to the war, continue to suffer in refugee camps in the north, as they are controlled by the military and still lacking sufficient facilities. Some partner members of Praja Abhilasha are a part of this suffering and are only able to share their grievances with our network when permitted to leave the northern area. Land Rights Policy Workshop The objective of this workshop was to have experts on each issue present comprehensive dialogues and conversations in their field, which would include the background of the issue within Sri Lanka, its development, and the land policies and situations related to those issues.
We also had one lawyer from the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) organization speak about specific land policies, laws, and regulations of Sri Lanka and how they are relevant to the issues we are researching for our campaigns.
There was a time for the participants to break into groups, according to issue, to discuss their progress in the months since we last met, brainstorm alternative solutions to their problem, as well as common steps that should be taken as an individual and common movement and how we can structure that movement in a unified way. Each group shared their thoughts and ideas and many expressed the desire to form a people’s movement to demand that the right to life and property/land be included in the Sri Lankan Constitution, as we learned that it was not during the lawyer’s presentation.
As this discussion continued and many became interested, we started brainstorming what steps needed to be taken and researched in order to approach this issue. The overall goals were to press the government, as well as educate the people. Our first decision was to form media groups to write articles, talk to the press, and to organize radio shows about the issue. We will hold one media conference on displacement this summer, as well as a general awareness program on the issues. Launching of Land Rights Research Report Oluvil Harbour
We met with the fishermen of the harbour area, the mosque leader (as he has a strong role in the community), and a women’s group of fishers’ wives. The situation has not changed from what was included in the last newsletter, though the construction continues and the people continue to fight for compensation, but are refused. It was learned, though, that these fishermen were placed on a list to receive compensation four years ago. But when the time came to distribute the money, the mudalali (the de facto boss of the fishermen, excluding any legal documentation of wage distribution) removed a number of affected people’s names and included the names of his family members instead. The mudalali has great influence over the decision of who is approved or not, therefore the people feel that a strong, united effort to unveil this corruption is needed.
We are hoping to open a dialogue between these communities and the government on this situation, but after speaking with the interim District Secretariat of the area, we learned that he was completely unaware of the situation and that we had to come again to speak with his Land Assistant. At the present moment, it seems there are conflicting stories, but also different stories and situations, depending on the affected area. Due to this, we are planning to visit these communities to finalize the story over the next month, as well as speak with the government and include them in the conversation and solution. As Sri Lanka continues to experience this transition from war to peace, Praja Abhilasha will continue to be sensitive to these issues as we work alongside those affected by war, but also other land issues which occur in this country. |
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Francis Raajan, Praja Abhilasha Coordinator On May 6, 2008 the Oluvil Port Development Project was inaugurated by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Oluvil. The Port construction works are thus being carried out under the guidance of the Ministry of Port, Aviation Irrigation & Water Management, as part of the Eastern Reawakening programme,Chamal Rajapaksa.
Addressing the gathering at the occasion, the President stated that the whole development process implemented in the Eastern region would be expedited with the commencement of construction works for the Oluvil Port Development Project. The President also said that all steps would be taken to secure democratic rights not only of the people in the East but also of the communities in the North.
Having for a long time remained limited to discussions only, the Project got thus underway by offering priority to the Oluvil Port development via “Negenahira Nawodaya”, which was launched for the expedited development of the Eastern region of the country. On March 13, 2008 the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) and the Danish contractor Mt Hojgaard
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the construction
of Oluvil Port Project in Sri Lanka.
The Oluvil Port Development Plan includes construction of a commercial
port and a basin for fishing vessels. The project will be undertaken in two phases. During the first phase
two breakwaters will be constructed. During the second phase, dredging will be undertaken to enable the
port to handle vessels of up to 16,000 tons.
The proposed Oluvil Port Development Plan comprises the construction of a commercial port and a basin for fishing crafts. The Port will be located at Oluvil on the east coast of Sri Lanka, 8 km north of Akkaraipatthu and 17km south of Kalmunai. The total project comprises two stages. Two nibble mound breakwaters, the Northern Breakwater with a length of 475 meters and the Southern Breakwater of 740 meter long, would enclose a total water area of around I6 hectares for the first stage. Around 10 hectares of the water area would be used for the commercial harbour activities and balanced area would be used for fisheries activities. The government, however, is going to declare those areas as an high security zone. So what will happen to the fishing communities afterwards? According to the fishermen, most fish are in the habour area so the government should allow them to continue to fish in the harbour area. |
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May Day Fisheries Rally
This rally has been held annually for the past few years, but the location and purpose changes each year. This year fishermen and families came from all over the island to express their solidarity with the people affected in the war torn Vanni region and the east coast. They gathered in hopes to strengthen the work on human rights for the Sri Lankan people, as many of the organizations had recently been engaged in the field after the Provincial Council elections in the East, to ensure all rights were respected. They also assembled in order to bring the working people together to discuss and work on a unified, common platform concerning the issues of the farmers, fishers, and workers in the country. Many leaders from each sector and region spoke and gave encouragement for the future work to those who were present.
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