Joining Hands Against Hunger
NEWSLETTER
Sri Lanka
Nineteenth Edition, March 2012

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Leaflet on Negombo Lagoon advocacy campaign.

A People's Tribunal on Development Displacement in Sri Lanka

By Herman Kumara, Praja Abhilasha Chair Person,

Covener for NAFSO and the People’s Alliance for Right to Land


A People’s Tribunal (PT) was organized to hear a number of specific cases of displacement that have occurred as a result of various developmental activities in Sri Lanka. The tribunal met at the Japan Cultural Centre (Sasakawa Hall), Colombo, on 30 January 2012 and was organized jointly by the Praja Abhilasha Network [PA], National Fisheries Solidarity Movement [NAFSO], People's Alliance for Right to Land [PARL] and Food Sovereignty Network of SL [FSNSL].

Meanwhile, disturbing developments following the event have triggered a Joining Hands letter writing campaign for which PA partners need your help. Read at the bottom of this page what you can do.

The proceedings of the People's Tribunal in progress

The primary purpose of the People's Tribunal was to spread awareness among the public and the state, and to document numerous instances of displacement of people from land and livelihood as a result of the so called developmental initiatives of the government. By bringing together affected communities they would grow a more united and cohesive solidarity that can wage an effective resistance to the designs of the state in collaboration with private capital. About 140 persons representing various affected communities attended the proceedings of the PT. There were seven main instances of displacement brought before the tribunal.

The case studies brought before the People's Tribunal


Kalpitiya Tourism Zone
14 islands in Kapitiya, an area of 1400 hectares of land, have been set apart as tourism zone and are being sold to private industrialists. Two villages have already been leased out for 99 years to private hoteliers, preventing the access of fishermen to the sea and also displacing them from their habitation. Invitation for tender has been issued for another five villages.

The specific case brought before the tribunal was that of Mrs. Faseeha Saleemkhan who is the wife of an invalid husband, and a mother of 8 children. The landed property that was given to her by her husband was illegally occupied by the Divisional Secretary of Kalpitiya and handed over to coastal conservation department. She complained to the Police and the Human Rights Commission. They advised her to seek legal redress but the judicial system was lethargic in bringing justice to her. This is an instance of illegal occupation taking place with the collaboration of the political higher ups and the bureaucracy with no legitimate legal recourse.


Panama Tourism Zone
A sea plane landing site has been proposed in the Panama Lagoon. The first village settlement in Panama Shathrawela established in 1960s was taken over for a Special Task Force Training Camp and subsequently transferred to a hotel group.

 

P. Somasiri from Panama, Ampara District, presents the Panama Shasthrawela case study, of which he himself fell victim twice. Read his complete presentation.

Likewise, three villages in the region – Ragamwela, Ulpassa and Egodayaya - were taken over for a naval station but later they were given over to Hoteliers. Now a bridge is proposed to be built across Panama Lagoon connecting the hotels and the sea plane landing site. This will displace almost 350 fisher households and 1200 farming families from their livelihood.

 

Negombo Tourism Zone
The Negombo lagoon is an ecologically sensitive aqua-system of rich biodiversity on which about 3500 strong fisher families depend for their livelihood. As part of tourism development, the Government of SL initiated a project of building a sea plane landing station in Negombo lagoon and associated infrastructure development for tourism industry without any consultation with the fishing community and any environmental impact assessment. A massive mobilization of the fishing community, especially the women, was successful in putting the proposed project on hold.

Polonnaruwa Tourism Zone
Associated with tourism development, four sea plane landing stations have been proposed in four tanks in Polonnaruwa District - Parakrama Samudraya, Giritale, Minneriya and Kanthale.

 

Nilanganie sharing her experiences of Sea Planes at Parakrama Samudra

More than 100,000 hectares of land have been nourished and irrigated by the waters of these tanks. The livelihood of 40,000 families, who survive by farming on this land, is that way being threatened by the tourism development. Besides, people in the seven villages around Parakrama Samudraya live off fishing. The livelihood of about 1000 fisher families will therefore also be affected by this development.

Colombo Urban Development Project
Mrs. M.P. Sunitha shared her story and of 72 others who are resisting eviction by the railway authorities from the rail line connecting Kellani Valley with Avissawella. This is part of the urban development and beautification program by which 66,000 families are expected to be evicted.

These families have  built houses and become a community there for the last four decades with house numbers, electricity, public water supply, names on the voter’s list, and other prescriptive rights. They live by daily wages and take up odd jobs in the city and cannot afford to buy land or houses. They petitioned to the Human Rights Commission about this unilateral eviction from what has been their home over four decades. The commission directed the government to provide them with houses or adequate compensation. However, the government has failed to meet this directive and the people continue to live in the imminent threat of eviction. The community is putting up stiff resistance. Already people’s disaffection was registered in the recently concluded Colombo municipal council elections in which the ruling party was defeated.

Sampur Special Economic Zone
Sampur is a fertile farming area in Trincomalee District located in the eastern part of Sri Lanka. Its proximity to sea also helps the farmers to engage in fishing operations. Tsunami and war played

havoc on their lives.

The inhabitants of Sampur, almost 2000 families, were forced to move out in 2006 as a consequence of the fierce battle between the military and the LTTE. Since then, these families have been living as IDPs in successive camps. After the defeat of the LTTE forces in 2009, the area was declared a High Security Zone.

Soon thereafter, the Government of SL obtained cabinet approval to turn the area into a Special Economic Zone. With no hope of returning to their lands and with dwindling food and financial relief, they remain in dire straits. Today, a joint venture between Government of India and Government of SL, a thermal power plant is being built in that land. The people who have traditionally occupied the land and are legal heirs are being denied entry without any compensation whatsoever. While this project remains environmentally contentious, 20,000 acres of land declared as HSZ displaces about 16,000 people.


Monaragala Agri-Business Development
Monaragala is a district in Sri Lanka with the largest forest cover and bio-diversity in Sri Lanka with agriculture as the chief occupation of people. In 1983, the Pelwatte Sugar Industries (PLC) was allowed to clear 84,000 hectares of forest land for sugar cane cultivation and for the founding of a sugar factory. This impacted the wild life in the area by restricting their living space; which was aggravated by the destruction of 100 small tanks causing water scarcity for animals.Recently, Dole Lanka (PVT) Ltd, the local partner of USA based Dole Food Company, has encroached and cleared 3,200 acres of forest land including reserve forests. This destruction of forest cover is taking place with the complicity of all governmental departments that are constituted to protect and conserve forest and its resources.

Elephants and other wild animals have been forced to encroach upon the land of small and marginal farmers in search of food and water, endangering the life, property and agricultural crops of farmers. This has increased human-elephant conflicts and also resulted in ground water depletion, making farming and survival extremely difficult for the loal communities.

Post Tsunami and Post War Political Realities
The post civil war Sri Lankan political leadership is determined to turn Sri Lanka into the “Wonder of Asia.” This development trajectory that much follows free market principles and its economic paradigm, is based on ostentatious and lucrative mega projects such as ports, airports, super-highways, power plants, high-end tourism ventures and Agri-business initiatives. Tens of thousands of acres of land are being appropriated for multi-national agro-industrial projects, tourism projects, Special Economic Zones, industrial zones etc. People are being evicted from their customary grounds, particularly in the North and the East. Land belonging to small and marginal farmers is being taken over for multi-national agribusiness ventures (e.g. Dole-Lanka) that turn them into tenant farmers and agricultural laborers on their own land. Whatever is left of a self-reliant, self-sufficient national economy is being bartered. It has been proposed that Colombo city be restored to the position of a ‘Garden City” by forcibly evicting 66000 families, generally slum dwellers, who have legal and prescriptive rights to their homes. Any private property can now be seized by the state for ‘development’ purposes.


The panelists, who heard instances of land grabbing from seven different locations in Sri Lanka, was comprised of six eminent civil society representatives from different walks of life: Rev. Madampagama Assajie (Buddhist Monk), Rev. Bandiwewe Diyasena Thera (Buddhist Monk), Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda, Sr. Sharmindinie Fernando, Ms. Rohinie Weerasinghe and Ms. Menaha Kandasamy.

The Board of panelists

 

Conclusions and recommendations from the panelists
In the name of ‘development’, the government is undermining the people-centered sustainable development that has been a guiding vision for the last many years. Vast tracts of land that rightfully belongs to Sri Lankan citizens have been given over to corporate interests, foreign and national, without any regard for its impact on the social and cultural life of the people and the environment.

These instances of land grabbing push the marginalized and the oppressed communities further into poverty and destitution. Lack of forest cover, in addition to contributing to global warming, increases human-elephant conflicts and creates water scarcity, with long term consequences to the bio-diversity of the region.

Rev. Bandiwewe Diyasena Thero, a panelist, giving his recommendations to the victims

From this exercise it became obvious that much more study, research and documentation must go into each of these instances of land grabbing to take up their causes with all stake holders.

The formation of People’s Alliance for Land Rights has been appreciated as a right step in the right direction. A greater mobilization of people and groups is needed, however, with a strengthening of solidarity that is essential to take up the struggle to another level. The ground has become ripe for such a mobilization and action. At the same time, it is necessary to attract as much international attention as possible around the issue, develop support for these initiatives and harness global solidarity for the campaign.

Meanwhile, along with campaigns against displacement, it is necessary to study developmental alternatives, particularly in the area of tourism. These can be placed before the larger public and the government to counter attempts from other parties to portray our advocacy efforts as anti-development.

Observations from the sidelines

Observers of the People’s Tribunal drew a number of conclusions from the hearings:

  • The so called ‘developmental initiatives’ of the state seemed to have little bearing on the ordinary people who struggle to eke out a living in the country.
  • The development initiatives are undertaken without any detailed and objective study of their long term impacts on the environment, society and economy by competent authorities. Neither are they placed in the public domain for eliciting the response of the people.
  • There has neither been any consultation with the affected communities nor any transparency in the implementation of development projects.
  • No clear compensation and rehabilitation packages, including remuneration for lost livelihoods, have been worked out before these development projects were initiated.
  • Sri Lankan state is working with a very fluid and loose policy on land. Without any clear land ownership rights, it is difficult to work out compensation. For Civil Society it is therefore important to advocate for land policies that are linked to the fundamental right to life and livelihood.
  • The centralized state administration is remote from people and often represented by officials who are not accountable to the population. It is essential that the state power be devolved to the lowest local governing institutions, elected by the people and answerable to the people.

Hopefully the Government will see the validity of these concerns and evolve developmental initiatives through more transparent and participatory procedures, with respect of people’s right to land and livelihood and by safeguarding the sustainability and stability of the ecosystems.

Call To A Joining Hands Solidarity Action

by Alexa Smith, JH Associate for Presbyteries

The Joining Hands community has been alarmed by reports about two attempted abductions of Herman Kumara. Herman is linked to Praja Abilisha, our Sri Lankan network, but he is also the  head of the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO) and the secretary general of the World Forum of Fisher People (WFFP). We’ve been unable to secure Presbyterian partners in the US for Praja Abilisha, so we do want to support them as Joining Hand community.

Press coverage of Herman Kumara's return to Sri Lanka on Feb. 24, 2012, after attending an international gathering of farmers in Rome, Italy, reports how he was followed by another car. Further, individuals have been seeking information about him from his neighbors. A man claiming to be an officer with the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) was also allegedly gathering data about Herman's family, his vehicles and his work. These accounts were disturbing enough to prompt his wife to file a complaint at the Pannala police station. The next day, on Feb. 25, 2012, a motor bike attempted to follow Herman’s vehicle after he spoke at a public rally.

The WFFP and NAFSO are respected organizations in the international community. Both groups have a history of working peacefully in Sri Lanka to raise the voice of the fishing community, which includes some of the most vulnerable people in the society. Globally, Herman Kumara is recognized as a distinguished spokesman for human rights within Sri Lankan society for more than 30 years.

It is alarming to see a pattern of suspicious behaviors emerge that interrupt his life and work. These surreptitious threats, as well as attempts by individuals to gather personal information about Herman lead us to believe that his life is at risk. Herman Kumara’s right to represent the voice of the fisher people is protected by the constitution of Sri Lanka and, hence, the government needs to ensure his safety.

We have been asked by our partners of PA to call the Sri Lanka government for intervention to investigate these charges and prosecute those who attempt to deter the emergence of a vigorous civil society in Sri Lanka through threats and intimidation. Given the delicate political situation in Sri Lanka, however, it is imperative that we respond to this call for letters as individuals concerned about him and not as church people.

Therefore, please sign with your name, state, and country this letter to the Inspector General of Police and e-mail it to igp@police.lk. Then do the same for this letter to the Attorney General but e-mail it to ag@attorneygeneral.gov.lk

Join more global expressions of concern, such as the letter of solidarity by the worldwide Peasants Movement La Via Campesina..Also, Grassroots International has launched a petition calling for the protection of Herman Kumara in Sri Lanka. Follow this link to sign it.

You further can read the BBC story that broke about the abduction attempts,

Over the last years, our Sri Lanka partners have shared in the Joining Hands Newsletter a number of the issues confronting the fishing folk in Sri Lanka. These include escalating development of tourist resorts built on fragile lagoons and in areas where fishing communities live and earn their livelihoods, e.g. the last couple of editions http://www.relufa.org/partners/jhnewsletter/archives/srilanka18.htm and http://www.relufa.org/partners/jhnewsletter/archives/srilanka17.htm . For still earlier reports, look up the Sri Lanka chapters in the JH Newsletter archives.

If you have questions or need more information, do not hesitate to phone me at 502-569-5027 or send an e-mail to alexa.smith@pcusa.org .

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