Mannar island, in Northern Sri Lanka, has seen a surge of violence in the recent months. INFORM, a FORUM-ASIA member organization in Sri Lanka and another Colombo based NGO, the Center for Policy Alternatives undertook a fact finding mission to assess the prevailing situation there. As a result of the conflict, co-existence amongst various ethnic and religious communities had come under increasing pressure. A series of confrontations between the Sri Lankan Navy and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had marked life in Mannar in the second half of 2005 and the first six months of 2006. In a recent incident on 8th June 2006, the parents and 2 children of one family had been killed. The navy had also banned all fishing from the Mannar coast on 22nd June 2006.
Mannar island, in Northern Sri Lanka, has seen a surge of violence in the recent months. INFORM, a FORUM-ASIA member organization in Sri Lanka and another Colombo based NGO, the Center for Policy Alternatives undertook a fact finding mission to assess the prevailing situation there.
As a result of the conflict, co-existence amongst various ethnic and religious communities had come under increasing pressure. A series of confrontations between the Sri Lankan Navy and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had marked life in Mannar in the second half of 2005 and the first six months of 2006. In a recent incident on 8th June 2006, the parents and 2 children of one family had been killed. The navy had also banned all fishing from the Mannar coast on 22nd June 2006.
On the morning of 17th June, as a battle between the Navy and LTTE was going on in the Pesalai, in Mannar, around 2000-3000 people had sought refugee in the Church. In an attack on the Church by armed men that many eye witnesses believed to be from the Navy, one woman was killed and 47 members of the community injured. On the same morning, 5 fishermen were shot dead and shelters and boats of fishermen were set on fire. The influential Catholic Bishop and the Government Agent, the most senior government official in the area, had both been prevented from going to the area immediately.
Daily incidences of violence had become the norm in Mannar and there is a steady deterioration in the relations between the civilians and the Navy. Civilians are traumatized and live in fear, and the fishing ban is having a negative impact on local economy.
Thousands of civilians are still displaced, and many go back to the church to spend the night. Talaimannar, also situated in Mannar has been the departure point for many refugees fleeing to India, due to violence in the North and East of the country and thus, the church in Talaimannar, had also seen a large number of internally displaced persons from other districts. Issues such as relief, sanitation and security of these displaced people remain to be adequately addressed.
The report points out that the willingness of both sides to empathize and that this could be a starting point for dialogue to find ways of addressing each others needs and fears.
Read the full report of the Fact Finding mission, as well as the previous letter on the incident by the Catholic Bishop of Mannar. (both files are in .pdf)
