Shortly after last year's tsunami, I made contact with my Internet friend Sameera in Sri Lanka to see how he had fared. At that time, he shared with me that he was okay and that he had not lost any of his family, but he added that many people throughout the area were anxiously awaiting word from their family and friends. Over the days and weeks that followed, Sameera shared articles with me from regional news sources including sites like Tamilnet.com. Sameera’s correspondence and the selections from local news agencies helped me to develop a better understanding of the situation in Sri Lanka. I recently asked Sameera to share his thoughts on how things stand in Sri Lanka one year after the tsunami.
As many of us likely recall, the Bush administration proffered an embarrassingly low $15 million in aid immediately following the tsunami. The US eventually boosted its aid to more respectable levels and many, many other countries contributed to the relief efforts over the course of the moths that followed. Organizations like Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) also provided much-needed services throughout the region, including Sri Lanka. However, some recent news reports speculate that as little as 25% of tsunami aid has been utilized, with much of the remaining aid caught up in planning for projects or bureaucratic red tape. Even some relief organizations seem to have considerable difficulty in determining how to proceed with aid disbursement. For example, ABC News (US) recently reported that the American Red Cross has only released a total of $180 million in tsunami aid out of the $560 million which they collected.
Sameera notes that some humanitarian organizations have done good work in selected areas, but this is generally on a very small scale when compared to the massive need for medical treatment shelter and other types of aid. He suggests that some kind of centralized and coordinated effort would have dramatically improved the delivery of vital services to affected areas. He also notes that the absence of a strong presence by the government likely contributed to the ability of certain groups to take advantage of the residents who were already reeling from the disaster. Most notably, there has been an increase in the exploitation of orphaned children in affected areas.
Government bureaucracy and political intrigue have eliminated the possibility of a quick recovery for the hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans in affected areas. Sameera writes that it is clear that there is no comprehensive government plan in place for reconstruction and that most recent efforts focus on token development projects that are intended to curb mass anger. He adds that the two ruling parties generally avoid severe criticism of one another when it comes to tsunami recovery efforts, as if to avoid calling attention to their shared deficiencies on the matter.
The imminent threat of a renewed violent conflict looms as well. According to Sameera, the underlying political tensions between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are reaching a critical point. On June 24, 2005, both sides agreed upon the Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS), but the political issues that existed prior to the tsunami have persisted and open fighting could resume between both sides in the near future. Recent news reports from the area indicate that the government is now blaming the LTTE for a series of attacks on police and that in the midst of this turmoil, cease fire agreements are crumbling.
The relief campaign that was spearheaded by former US Presidents Clinton and Bush continues to trumpet the purported progress brought about by American aid and initiatives. But some of the figures cited by western organizations are more than a bit problematic when compared to dispatches from local organizations and eyewitnesses. During his recent visit to Sri Lanka, Bill Clinton indicated “Ninety percent of children are back in school, epidemics have been prevented and transitional shelter has been provided to almost all internally displaced people.” However, reports from the government of Sri Lanka place the number of reconstructed at somewhere between 868 and 3,200—and remember that over half a million people were displaced. This is obviously more than a simple discrepancy. Other reports indicate that only a small fraction of schools have been rebuilt since the disaster.
Sameera sums up the frustration felt by many: “Nearly a year after Tsunami one doesn't require anything more than a tour in those affected areas to see the actual status of the work. It is acceptable that such a construction takes time, but to build up a plan and initiate work, I think 12 months is more than enough. But the majority of victims either live in those temporary camps or have found their own solutions. Nothing to speak about health and education in those areas.”
It is true that some have benefitted through relief efforts and the aid of humanitarian organizations, but a variety of factors have resulted in the protreacted needless suffering of many in Sri Lanka, Much work remains to be done in Sri Lanka, but it is unclear who will lead the way in developing a cohesive and aggressive recovery plan.
[Many thanks to Sameera for contributing to this article.]
Sources and Further Reading
Clinton paints false picture of “progress” WSWS.org, Nov. 30, 2005
Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on Sri Lanka Wikipedia
GoSL, LTTE sign P-TOMS TamilNet.com, June 24, 2005
News from Sri Lanka Médecins Sans Frontières
1.5M Still Homeless From Tsunami CBS News, Dec. 14, 2005
Police hurt in Sri Lanka attack BBC News, Dec 12, 2005
Sri Lankan schools still not rebuilt after tsunami WSWS.org, Aug. 10, 2005
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake Wikipedia
