Life of Internally Displaced People in Sri Lanka

One of the biggest waves of displacements was in the 1990s, when the entire Muslim population from the north of Sri Lanka were forced to disperse to different parts of the island.

Life of Internally Displaced People in Sri Lanka Host: In Sri Lanka one of the biggest waves of displacement was in the 1990s, when the entire Muslim populations from the North were forced to disperse to different parts of the island. Many arrived here on the western coastal area around Puttalam. At other times during the long war many more Singhalese and Tamils were also displaced to different areas. Today, Puttalam is home to around 50,000 internally displaced people, one of the biggest concentrations in the country. Most live in welfare centers or camps like these. Many of them, like Rosala and her husband Abubakar have been here for the last fourteen years. They’re concerned about their living conditions. But they’re still not sure about when and if they should finally return home. Rosala: Here there are so many diseases because everything is squashed into this small bit of land the well, the toilets and the houses are all cramped into this small area. And so here nearly all the people would go around with medicines in their hands. Most of us would prefer not to live here. Abubakar: It’s difficult, we can only make our money through cultivation and farming and we cannot do that here. Host: It’s not easy for Rosala and her husband to make a living and they mainly depend on government rations for food. Rosala supplements their income by making baskets. Abubakar gets fishing work whenever he can. But it’s tough to find work and the locals can be resentful when those who’ve moved in bring wages down. Abubakar: In fishing they will only allow us to do certain kinds of jobs and not ones that bring in lots of fish or make money. When there’s an argument between two parties it’s usually about business. They ask the locals can start flexing their muscles. We can’t do anything we could retaliate but if we start to speak back or argue with them or get the help from a minister or the police then as soon as these officials leave they will threaten us and say “What would you do if we burnt your house down?” The threat is always there. Host: As well as conflict over jobs, there are issues over access to services like health and education. The displaced people here account for around a quarter of the local population and numbers are growing. Jennath: Now the clinics are crowded. If you start in the morning you can only get the medicine after five and even then sometimes the medicines are not available it wasn’t like that before. Host: The host community also struggled with the fact that the displaced people get benefits but they don’t. Siddeeq: The aid being given by the agencies goes to the displaced people. It mostly doesn’t reach the locals. There are so many poor people amongst the locals but the regular provisions only get to the displaced ones. Host: Rosala and Abubakar are visiting her parents who chose to go home to their land in Mannar two years ago, after the last ceasefire was agreed. It’s often the older generation of displaced people like Rosala’s parents who are the first to return. They harbor memories of a golden past and so would rather go back than stay in the camps in spite of the unknown. Their journey makes the couple wonder if or when they, too, should go home. Abubakar: There are so many difficulties here. There are no opportunities to progress. If we go home we can do our own jobs and move forward in lives like others. Host: When she arrives home, Rosala’s parents take her across their fields to show her their old house. These were once fertile paddy fields. But now it’s all gone. Abubakar: This a six-bedroom house now it’s completely destroyed and I don’t have the means to repair it. This is where the room was that my children used to study further back that was where the main living area was and over there was a kitchen. Rosala: Bath tub, see this everything is here and there strewn around when I see all these things that we used to use lying here broken it makes me feel sad. Host: Rosala’s parents used to live well. Now they’re living in this shack until they have enough money to do their house up. But Rosala’s mother thinks the hardships are worth it. At least she’s back where she feels she belongs. Female: We have our own plot of land and we are happy that we came here over there we were treated as second class citizens when the peace talks began, we really wanted to come back it is difficult though because we don’t have anything here. Host: There’s no doubt that Rosala would prefer to be home, near her parents. But for now she’s afraid to make the move, and she’s worried about the debris of war still littering the land. Abubakar: If we go home we could manage on our own that is the feeling I have. Rosala: If we did go home, the main worry we would have is the landmines… Abubakar: That’s right. Rosala: If we started to plow the fields and if anything touches the mine, it will explode. Our village is very close to an army camp that’s a real worry.