Leaders

I’m reminded of the newspaper article I read on arrival about the weakness of civil society in this country and the resignation of Sri Lankans to their fate. I have found the exact opposite on this trip. In village after village, people have come together to organize, challenge, protest and demand their rights.
In fact, this [...]

Dealing with Grief

It is now nine months since V. Thangumani, also know as Viji to her friends, lost her three daughters in the Tsunami. They were there then one moment, and washed away the next. She was only able to salvage three grainy photos of the girls, and lots of memories. It seems like yesterday.
Viji is one [...]

Divided Councils

Every village has an elected rural development society, and many agencies deliver their aid through these societies giving them tremendous power. Our visit to the village of Manalchenai showed that this power is not always respected. We come to the same conclusion after visiting Thuraineelavenai, a village that suffered unusual damage from the Tsunami.
Thuraineelavenai is [...]

The War Widows

In the village of Nasivanteevu we finally come face to face with war.
This is not to say that the war has been entirely absent. Patrols from the government’s Special Task Force are everywhere, and the LTTE operates checkpoints a few miles further inland. Still, we have found that the war has less immediate impact on [...]

Mobilizing Caste

We drive out to Cheddipalayam to visit a group of families who are known colloquially as “dobies,” or washermen. The word doby denotes a caste and also a profession. Caste is turning out to be a big problem in this aid operation.
The washing itself is a marvel of environmental friendliness. Each washerman services a group [...]

Back to the Sea

Cheddipalayam is one of many fishing communities that lay in the path of the Tsunami, and 71 of the village’s families have petitioned the Home for Human Rights for support. We go out to visit, and find that the families have gathered in a courtyard and are overflowing into the streets. The mood is tense. [...]

The Outsiders

I have always assumed that any mischief in this aid operation would come from the Sinhalese authorities withholding aid from Tamils. This turns out to be grossly over-simplified. The sort of discrimination happening here is much more subtle, as becomes startlingly clear when we visit Manalchenai, some 50 kilometers south of Batticaloa.
HHR has received a [...]

Sewing the Seeds of Recovery

After the Tsunami struck, the survivors were collected from villages surrounding Batticaloa and brought to a large Technical College. From there they were divided according to their local districts. Some went to the Batticaloa Music College, where they stayed for three months.
It was in this shelter that Xavier first heard the charge of discrimination. One [...]

Tortured Reaction

We arrive at the Batticaloa office of the Home for Human Rights at 11.30 and come face to face with the tear-stained face of Rajamani Sarathaden and her five year-old son Dinesh.
The two have just come from visiting Poopalapillai, Rajamani’s husband, who was arrested by a security patrol on September 4, after some shots were [...]

Aid Puzzle

A tidal wave of money flowed into Sri Lanka following the Tsunami, and every day seems to bring a report of aid falling into the wrong hands. I, however, am about to find out how difficult it has been to spend the money.
Immediately after the disaster, the staff of the Home for Human Rights contributed [...]