Kilinochchi - email from jksw

To: "J. K. S. Weerasekera"
Cc:
Date: Wed, 03 Jul 2013 10:51:08 +0530
Subject: FW: Hope in Killinochchi

Forwarded below an account of Kilinochchi.

People abroad get their news English media to whom deep within, Asians yet remain  expendables, 20 million people quite so. To wit, supply of arms with the right to invade up the sleeve.

Some of my forwarded first hand accounts by credible people have been construed as propaganda.

In my many trips up north  Kilinochchi showed dramatic improvements from 2010 on , so much so 1 ½ years ago, our car was copped for blowing the horn passing the magistrates court. The cops were civil but explained that the judge was very strict on noise.

This is forwarded. I do not know the author  but I have been at this orphanage. Not seen the unfortunate ladies, but I conjecture that everytime there is any fighting the poorest around will get the brunt. Jaffna escaped that.

I do know that very cleverly the army has been utilized building infrastructure, which they do with pride and gusto – they use correct  cement to sand ratios unlike some contractors!

So soldiers deliver water from the Iranmadu tank to Jaffna?

That new road to Mullaithivu which I travelled a few months ago has cut down travel time hugely, so any patient from the new Mullaithivu Hospital (which is in the short term short of specialists) can be quickly transferred to Vavunia Hospital with sufficient facilities.

There is a lot of social movement between the public and the army, some combatants striking deep friendships, some even getting married.

There were 3 Sinhala boys in the cricket team that beat the visitors. Hope it is not construed as colonization with the south so full of all communities.

I add the comments above from personal experience.

The article below is readworthy.

jksw    

 

This is an account of a hopeful story from my friend Skanda Kumar Aruni.

It is these acts of kindness and humaneness that raises hopes for our country.

--Nimal

Just back from Killinochchi (at 4 am Monday morning after having left at 8 am on Sunday ) !!

It was a  rewarding trip that allowed a group of us to visit an orphanage of 330 children,

and see the work a retired GA in charge, Rasanayagam is doing for them and for 6000 widows in that area.

We also visited  Harmony Centre constructed by the army

that  will soon provide access to IT, English etc

and also has a badminton court and modest gym facilities...

We then went to a village adopted by the Foundation of Goodness

(Kusils Met up with around 15 educated young women looking for opportunities to be self employed.

I have returned with a proposal they have made to that which will require Rs 150,000 ( to become a supplier to the many shops in town of consumer products )and once it is examined and approved by Kushils staff I will try and raise the funds and channel it through the foundation for monitoring purposes.

We saw  for ourselves the interaction between the army and the civilian population

that was reflected in the resurgence of perhaps the biggest town in the North that was devastated in the closing stages of the war.

We saw the work that is being coordinated by the army

to take the water from the Iranamadu tank to Jaffna to provide drinking water in the North.

Finally the purpose of our visit ....to witness the first ever match
between a visiting Australian club u 17 team with a combined North East team ( also u 17 )...

and was very impressed with what we saw ( Michael Tissera was also there ) in terms of talent fitness and performance as

they beat the visitors by 70 runs ( made 173 in their turn at batting after winning the toss ) in a T 20 game.

The team had 3 sinhala boys and the rest were tamils and they blended well together.

There were over 4000 spectators, on the main ground in the centre of town,( matting pitch) and the arrangements were in the hands of the army ( headed by a very committed CO Maj Gen Udaya Perera ) and the attention to detail in all respects truly amazed us all !!

Finally 84 bicycles ( Rs 10,000 each ) were gifted to a similar number of schoolgirls through Sangakkaras Bike for Life Fund at the tea break, while at the end of the game the Australian players gifted a bike to each of the North East team players... donated by them, their parents and David Cruz ( a Sri Lankan born Australian now domiciled here who was responsible fo arranging the tour with Kushil Gunansekera). David pledged 2 turf pitches for the ground and the CO volunteered the army's services to maintain them !

I am aware that there have been mixed reactions to the role of the army in areas recovering from the war......

what we saw in our limited stay told us that

there is a sincere and committed effort being made to win hearts and minds

and the progress was there for us to see.

Our team  comprised of Kushil , Michael, self, 2 ex-UNDP and UN employed Sri Lankans (now retired ) and their spouses.

Cheers - Skanda

I will now try and get some sleep !!! and will send you some photos in due course.