Tsunami survivors in Sri Lanka’s east speak to the WSWS

In every camp we visited, the story is similar: government apathy, bureaucratic negligence, appalling conditions and especially severe sanitation problems. At the same time, the sense of solidarity among communities of different ethnic and religious groups was unprecedented. There was widespread appreciation among Tamil and Muslim tsunami victims for the support and assistance given by ordinary Sinhala people. The response to the tsunami tragedy rapidly undermined the divisions between Sinhalese and Tamil working people that the ruling elites have consciously fostered during the country’s protracted long civil war.

We arrived at the refugee camp at Sadhdhatissa Vidyalaya, in Ampara proper, at 9:30 a.m. on December 29. There were more than 1,300 refugees in the camp from villages such as Kalmunai, Pandiriuppu, Karaitivu, Nindavur and Pariya Nilavanai. Young volunteers from organisations in the area were preparing breakfast. Some 250 refugees were boarding buses to go back to their villages to see what remained of their homes.

Sanitation was a glaring problem. There were only two toilets and both were in a bad condition. This was a common state at every camp. In some places, pits had been dug, but they rapidly filled with water during heavy rain. Refugees told us that the authorities had dismissed their complaints. While the refugees had received food and clothes, sleeping mats and bedding were in short supply. Shelter was also a problem, with large numbers of people crammed into the small classrooms of a school.

Throughout the day, we spoke with tsunami victims. An 18-year-old Hindu religious schoolteacher, G. Punithawathi, from Karaitivu, recounted with gratitude the assistance received from nearby Sinhalese and Muslim communities. “Because of the ceasefire, we got support from them. If the war was still on, the situation would have been worse. In this camp, Sinhalese people brought us clothes, food, water, mosquito coils and other things,” she said.

Read More (with pictures)
http://wsws.org/articles/2005/jan2005/ampa-j08.shtml