A POTHOLED ROAD TO PEACE-Resettlement Not A Tender Process In Jaffna

Resettlement Not A Tender Process In Jaffna
By Abdul H. Azeez in Jaffna - Photos by Thusitha Kumara

Child plays by a boat as his parents sort the catch, Marutankeni, Awaiting the next tractor by the roadside, Vettilakeni, A camp that houses some of the persons displaced by the HSZs in the North, Shops in the former HSZ in Thelippalai that have now been released to the civilians, Struggling onto tractor at Vettilakeni AND A plush military built house donated to a lucky family

In the ‘neck’ of Jaffna, people are just settling down in their old homes after having spent months and even years in IDP camps. They have returned to villages completely flattened by shells strikes, and a land made almost a desert through the ravages of war and harsh weather.
Taking the van south from Point Pedro, parallel to the A9 the land is green at first. We move on past the checkpoint at Nagarkovil and green gradually turns into brown. This continues until we are in a veritable desert that stretches from the coast inland as far as the eye can see. Ravaged by war, all buildings here have been destroyed by shells. Whatever greenery that called these arid lands home has not yet recovered fully thanks to harsh weather conditions that have  not seen rainfall in months.                   Full Story