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Oppressed Tamil community faced with multifaceted struggle

The displacement of many schools due to military attacks had already placed great stress on the education services. The floods coming on top of it had destroyed many of the school property that could only be protected in makeshift shelters. The loss to the education services caused by the floods is estimated to be in excess of LKR 250 million. Furniture, computer equipment and books have been lost. Beside the cost of he losses, under the present blockade the community will have an uphill struggle to replace what has been lost.

With the GCE OL examination about to start, the education service is struggling to find adequate examination halls for the 10,000 GCE OL students waiting to sit the examination. Loss of school buildings, due to displacement and again due to floods has made space a premium item for the schools. Education service even has to look into accommodation for the students sitting the exams because they are scattered all over the place due to displacement.

Increased cases of Malaria are another threat against which the health service and the community are struggling. So far 52 cases have been reported and yet no anti-malarial spray is permitted into Vanni. Common decency dictates that this is a crime, yet no voices against it are heard publicly perhaps because no international humanitarian convention specifically cited this as a crime.

Discussion on the loss of cultivation due to shelling induced displacement and due to floods is ubiquitous in Vanni. The long term effect of this on the food supply of the people already faced with the blockade of the Sri Lanka Government is yet another struggle that the community will overcome.

As the LTTE leader said in his hero’s day speech, Tamil community is used to carrying the “cross of misery”. They will face these struggles and come on top of it.

06 December 2008

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