Tsunamis And Tamil Tigers

Three Years After A Tsunami Slammed Sri Lanka, Life Returns To A Kind Of Normalcy

(CBS)  By CBS News producer George Osterkamp.

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Even during the worst of the tsunami coverage on the island of Sri Lanka three years ago, I knew I wanted to return. The sheer beauty of the nation, once known as Ceylon, and the resilience of the Sri Lankans themselves were enormously appealing even during those difficult days.

I remember January 2005 in a helicopter chartered by CBS News looking down over endless fields of green tea leaves covering Sri Lanka’s interior. We were flying from smashed villages on the East Coast across the island to even more devastation and greater life loss on the West Coast.

The tea bushes in the heartland around towns like Kandy and Nuwara Eliya were a heartening sign of normalcy as women in the fields continued to pick tea leaves and harvest this great crop.

But our assignment then was to cover the destruction caused by the tsunami, which arrived on Sri Lanka in three great waves on Dec. 26, 2004.

One of the hardest-hit beach towns on the East Coast was Unawatuna, just south of the city of Galle. There on a curving stretch of beach was a bar and restaurant named The Happy Banana. In the days after the Tsunami, lacking its roof and most walls, the Happy Banana looked particularly forlorn.

Two weeks ago I returned to Unawatuna, and I can report this stretch of beach is once again a piece of paradise. The Happy Banana is back in business. But for its hard-working owner, Janath Abeygunawardana, there remains a big problem here: Not enough visitors.

“First, they worried about another tsunami,” Mr. Abeygunawardana told me. “Now they’re worried about terrorism.” He was referring to the Tamil Tigers, a separatist movement based in northern Sri Lanka.

After years of an uneasy truce, the government of Sri Lanka let a cease-fire with the Tigers lapse in January - and there have been bombing incidents killing civilians.

Several governments, including the U.S., Canada and Australia, have issued warnings, cautioning citizens about the possibility of terror incidents in Sri Lanka. But for myself, over 11 days visiting half-a-dozen locations around the island, I never felt danger. I did notice military checkpoints at most major crossroads, but the soldiers and police there seemed to be relaxed.

Sri Lanka’s home-grown problems rarely intrude on the lives of visitors. Outside The Happy Banana, lounging on beach chairs, several bronzing Europeans seemed unconcerned.

The Happy Banana was rebuilt without government help. Janath Abeygunawardana says he reached deep into family savings and spent five million rupees (approximately $50,000) on repairs, a princely sum here. Like most other business owners on Unawatuna, he says no tsunami relief money flowed to him.

Where the relief money has gone is a subject of some dispute in Sri Lanka. With a death toll exceeding 31,000, the country was pledged $3.2 billion from foreign donors. The government says it received $1.2 billion, but can account for only half of that amount, according to Transparency International, a watchdog group.

“It has been virtually impossible to find out what happened to the cash,” says Rukshana Nanayakkara, of Transparency International, as reported by Agence France Presse. A Sri Lankan driver told me of relief officials he had chauffeured who lived a good life in the best hotels while they were supposed to be assessing local needs.

The government says the recovery effort is on track and that 100,000 new homes have been built for flood victims. On the East Coast I saw several new communities. But clearly corruption and continuing hostilities between the government and Tamil Tigers have taken a toll on relief efforts in Sri Lanka.

In Unawatuna these days there’s plenty of space at the bar or at the inn - and plenty of time to muse about what parts of the recovery could have been done better.

After the tsunami, the government told beach businesses they’d have to rebuild inland for safety - away from the water and back from the prime beach property they occupied. Officials backed down from that effort after it was pointed out that visitors looking for a great beach probably would not patronize businesses that moved inland.

And the owner of The Happy Banana says he’s noticed a new competitor down the way. A Danish woman, he says, was one of the most vigorous fund raisers after the tsunami, getting documents and authorizations which she took back to Europe to raise money. Apparently she was very successful; she returned to Sri Lanka with the money and opened her own bar and restaurant in Unawatuna. [I cannot verify the story, but I can testify to Mr. Abeygunawardana’s indignation.]

Still, for someone traveling around the island today, the visible scars from the great tsunami are few. Sri Lanka with its lush scenery, rich history, wonderful foods and welcoming people is once again a great draw. It was described by one of its more famous residents, scientist and writer Arthur C. Clarke, as the best place in the world from which to view the universe.

In February 2008, I think it still is.

[shamen2004]

JoelPravin..I appriciate your wish for a long lasting peace in Sri Lanka as a true sri lanka..Like any other genuine Sri Lankans, It is the my wish too.
But also I must say, how LTTE recruit innocent tamil children. Its not a secret that LTTE recrutis them forcibly. Those children are brained washed. Especially children who live in LTTE control areas, hear only what LLTE says. Those children are entitled for proper education instead of taking arms. They should have been part of countries development process.

[joelpravin]

As a Sri Lankan Tamil, I wish to see a lasting just peace in the country, and better opportunities for its people as a whole. Unfortunately, the current mindset that military might can resolve this situation will see the country devastated. It would have been better if Mr.Osterkamp had analysed this in more detail, and tried to convey what he had found to the public. This may have spurned others into action, and created a more realistic illustration of the country. Unfortunately he did not, and as Gandhi said %u2013 %u2018an eye for an eye will only make the world blind%u2019 seems to be the adage of current day Sri Lanka. At this time, only God can save Sri Lanka.

Joel Pravin (3/3)

[joelpravin]

Sri Lanka, which once was asserted to become a stronger country than Singapore (by Lee Kuan Yew himself), has fallen into an unending abyss. Mistakes committed when independence occurred fostered a culture of mistrust between the majority Sinhalese and Tamils, which were exacerbated in the 70%u2019s and 80%u2019s into deep-rooted resentment. It is so sad to see this, seeing the potential of its people and the country. The nature of the conflict with its Sinhalese, Buddhist majority and Tamil, Hindu minority unfortunately provide few commonalities and even less opportunity to empathise and constructively negotiate with the others. The generation living today, especially in the North and East, are the by product of years of fighting, and many have joined the LTTE having seen first-hand rapes, and killings of loved ones. With the lack of opportunity and hope in the North and East, and the constant threat of kidnappings, beatings and death by the Sri Lanka Army a recruiting ground conducive for the LTTE is created. Real journalism would see people try to understand this, and push for more suitable actions to help address this. (continued 2/3)

[joelpravin]

Having grown up in America, I find it quite amusing to see CBS providing an insight into Sri Lanka as a ''Tourist Haven''. The sad fact is the tsunamai, which devastated the lives of thousands of people in the country, provided an ideal opportunity for reporters to rush in and pick up a good scoop. Mr.Osterkamp''s was one of these, rushing in to document and detail a truly catastrophic event for the American public. By chance he was able to bump into some tourist resorts, and was able to empathise with the people he met. Unfortunately the Sri Lanka he has seen is far from the real Sri Lanka. (continued)

[shamen2004]

It is the truth that 2/3rd of Tamils live out side of North and East. If Sri Lankan government discriminate them, this is not possible. I remember when I studied at Moratuwa universitfy, 25% of students are tamils(only in my batch). Considerign the facts that there are other universities in north and east and how many sinhalese students can go there and study?
In fact, can we(sinhalse)go to North freely?
Who really descriminate against whoom?

[maravan-2009]

This piece of writing is fully biased and misleading article.
The author is referring Unawatuna as East Coast repeatedly but actually, Unawatuna is located in Southern coast of Sri lanka.

[maravan-2009]

Hello ACY11

Just want to point out that Prabakaran did not create this ethnic war. Successive Srilankan government created it.
FYI, check out this video by moderate Tamils:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T4nQljK90o

[samath6]

brilliant article. Loved it.

[tntamil]

How this modern day Pol Pot can claim 40% of Sri Lanka and 60% of its coastline while CLAIMING (bah!) to represent way less than 4% of its people is something I fail to comprehend.
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Do you know that the Tamil Resistance wants an UN administered referendum on separation in the North East of Lanka? Now, why would they want that if they are only 4% of the people? And more importantly, why would the SL government oppose a Quebec like referendum and that too with UN troops?

[tntamil]

Looks like ACY11 recommends the Buddhist Taliban method of bombing their own citizens to settle a separatist/freedom struggle as opposed to a Quebec like civilized approach. Irony that he claims to be from Canada.

[acy11]

''maravan'' charges that I live in a fantasy world created by Sri Lankan govt. ''lies''. No, I am just going by census figures and my own observations when I travel in that beautiful island.

I am not saying that Sri Lanka is a paradise. Physically it is but its human relationships can improve. But I can say that about my country, Canada. We have all types of problems here but we strive to resolve them peacefully. Sometimes it takes decades but, except for a killing by the FLQ in Quebec (which was forcefully crushed by then PM Pierre Trudeau) and occasional killings of aboriginal activists, mayhem and murder are kept in check. We do not have a psychopath like Tiger leader Prabhakaran to mislead the weak and explode IEDs. And thank heavens for that.

[maravan-2009]

It is ridiculous to see that "ACY11" is living in his own fantasy world created by SL government''s lies.

Since 1958, Tamils peacefully requested SL government to fulfill Tamils aspirations but all the time they were cheated and beaten back by Sinhala thugs. "ACY11" please do some research before making a public comment. Do not try to spread lies!
Even now, it is not too late, if Tamil''s rights were given then this war would not started.

"ACY11", you said that you have seen all three-language posts in schools. Please go to NE hospitals or police station and see government official%u2019s paper work. Not even a single word written in Tamil. Is that equal language policy? Law enforce people cannot understand local people''s language. I can list the issues more then hounded thousands words.
Basically, Srilankan is a failed state and it is forces in a mission to genocide Tamils.

[acy11]

I abbreviated my last post because of space limitations but I must respond to a couple of ''tntamil''s'' explosive assertions.

1. The SL Army is responsible for the majority of deaths in this struggle. Well, that may be true if you take into account the number of Tamil Tiger cadres eliminated over the years but I was talking about Tamil civilians slaughtered by the Tigers. Civilians, got it? And you confidently assert an 80% figure while simultaneously saying that you have no idea. Huh?

2. Owing to Tamil outmigration to the West, the (northern) Tamil population is now only 3.9% of the population according to 2007 figures. This includes the Tamil population of eastern Sri Lanka that has firmly rejected Prabhakaran''s claim as overlord. Your figures of 73% Sinhalese is very out-of-date.

How this modern day Pol Pot can claim 40% of Sri Lanka and 60% of its coastline while CLAIMING (bah!) to represent way less than 4% of its people is something I fail to comprehend.

[acy11]

I see that ''tntamil'' has now resorted to ad hominem attack; pity, it shows the shallowness of the barrels that he(?) is plumbing. Ok, if you want to play that game...

My point was that there was no justification whatsoever for this war. The people of Sri Lanka do not deserve it. Former smuggler Prabhakaran got on board the Tamil nationalist cause and then made good because he would kill without compunction. Tamil politicians who did not pay him obeisance were the first to go. His rivals in other Tamil militant movements were similarly snuffed out.

Yes, the policy declaring Sinhalese as the official language was dumb, dumb, dumb and I believe that Sri Lanka''s political elites have repudiated this stupidity. I recall travelling to the Sinhalese ''heartland'' in Buttala en route from the hills to the south and being very pleased to see government buildings being identified in Sinhalese, Tamil, and English. It is also gratifying to note that everywhere in the island, except in the Tamil Tiger-controlled north where Tamil ethnic purity appears to be a requirement, all races get along amicably.

[tntamil]

I meant to say 80000 lives and not 800000 lives in my previous post.

[tntamil]

And, according to what I see when I visit Sri Lanka, the poor are mostly Sinhalese. And, tnttamil, please don''''t use emotive words such as ''''genocide''''. You are trying to exploit the tug of that word on us Westerners when we think of what happened to the Jews. Isn''''t it true that way more non-combatant Tamils have been killed by the Tamil Tigers than by any other force? So is that ''''genocide''''?
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The SL government is responsible for a majority of the deaths in this struggle. I would say they caused more than 80 % of the Tamil casualties so far in this war. I am trying to compile a detailed list of killings done by the Sl government/IPKF and Tamil Tigers to account for the 800000 plus lives lost in this war and will post it on the net after I am done. The SL government is the only government to have aerially bombarded its own citizens for 22 years (they started in 1986). Coupled with all the blockades and injustices meted out to the Tamils, it is indeed "smart genocide"

[tntamil]

As for the armed forces, I must say that I have not investigated the situation but now that it has come up, I will. Suffice to say that the armed forces (the squaddies, anyway) generally represent the poor (no different in the US).

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Now, that''s a John Kerry like statement without much research. Please do your research and you will understand that though the Sinhalese are only about 73% of the SL population, they form 99% (plus) of the armed forces and poverty is nowhere in the picture to explain this anomaly. Image an Iraqi armed force with only Shias.

[tntamil]

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The West was softened up by a Tiger strategy to plant thousands of supporters in Western democracies, all claiming ''''discrimination''''. These Tamils in countries such as the US, Canada, Britain, France, Italy, Norway, Germany, and Switzerland are milked by Tiger operatives, mostly through thuggery and threats, to raise money for death and destruction in Sri Lanka. Very clever! Organizations such as al-Qaeda are watching...

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What Tiger strategy? The problem predates the Tigers by decades (unless you count the Time Reporter as a Tiger). Tigers are a plain old resistance movement to the military aggression of the Sinhala armed forces. Ever heard of rebels, resistance fighters etc. They have been renamed to ''terrorists'' to get support from western governments. Al Qaida is a terrorist oragnization, the Tamil Tigers are not - The west has been misled to believe that all non state actors are Terorists.

Besides I am not from Sri Lanka, but from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

[tntamil]

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It is significant that ''''tntamil'''' does not repudiate the facts presented in my post that prove that the whole tale of ''''discrimination'''' that the Tamil Tigers have strenuously fabricated over the years is pure bunkum.

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I did not dispute the numbers you had provided about the positions Tamils held at that point of time. What you are missing out is that the Tamils (and other minorities) were doing well under the British and the Sinhala governments of Independent Sri Lanka implemented several measures including unleashing violence on the minorities to take over the country.

See this Time magazine article from 1961 (14 years before the LTTE was formed)

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,897670,00.html

"The widow has unquestionably shattered the harmony of her island nation by her attacks on the Catholic and Tamil minorities, but her insistence that Ceylon belongs to the Singhalese is vastly popular with the vast majority."

[rajash-2009]

I think this guy must have
written this after having free arrack and free devilled prawns at The Happy Banana.