Rebuilding Kaddaiparichchan

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 August 2005, 11:36 GMT]
The Social Development Centre (SDC) headquartered in Killinochchi, has drawn up plans to rebuild the war-destroyed Kaddaiparichchan village in the Muttur east in the Trincomalee district, officials said. SDC has sought the assistance of non-governmental organizations to rebuild the village currently in an abandoned state with uncleared mines, shrub jungles covering residential areas which once flourished with coconut trees and banana cultivation with villagers gainfully employed in animal husbandry and other cottage industries.

Kaddaiparichchan village has been renamed Ganeshapuram after late Major Ganesh, LTTE leader of the area who died in the freedom struggle. "Ganeshapuram welcomes' the board now stands at the entrance of old Kaddaiparichchan village.

Kaddaiparichchan village is located at the entrance to the Muttur east held by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Trincomalee district. It is one of about forty-four villages in Muttur east.

Kaddaiparichchan Bridge divides the army and LTTE controlled areas in the Muttur divisional secretariat division. On one side of the bridge is Kaddaiparichchan SLA camp.

LTTE controlled area begins in the Muttur east after passing through the main Kaddaiparichchan army checkpoint. When one enters the Muttur east can see shrub jungles covering destroyed houses, shops and other structures. Notice boards warning dangers of mines are planted along all the roads of the village alerting people not to stray from the cleared unpaved roads.

Entire population of about six hundred families, all Tamils, were displaced in the year 1985 when the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers entered the villages destroying houses with bulldozers following a landmine attack. The displaced families are currently living with their relatives, some in Trincomalee, Nilaveli, and Sambaltivu and even in Vanni region unable to return to Kaddaiparichchan.

Social Development Centre organized a meeting last week with Mr.T.Thavasilingam, Chairman of the Consortium of the Trincomalee District Non-Governmental Organizations in the chair to discuss plans for rebuilding the village after twenty years. The meeting was held under a mango tree in the midst of destroyed houses. More than hundred displaced villagers, majority of them women, participated.

At the meeting several victims narrated their experiences, which forced them to leave the village two decades ago. Mr.R.Muthurajah, a senior resident said since 1983 residents of the village were affected in the military operation. Several persons were killed and several disappeared after the arrest by the SLA during the period of war, he said.

He added displaced families are unable locate their lands and houses now covered with shrub jungles because of yet uncleared mines. NGOs should help the displaced by launching a project to remove mines from the deserted village, he said.

Mr.Navaneethan, a member of the displaced family said several war widows of the village are residing in other areas without basic means to earn a living.

"We want a mine-free village to demarcate our lands which are covered with shrub jungles as a first step to rebuild Kaddaiparichchan," said several members of displaced families. Even after about four years have passed since the signing of the ceasefire agreement no action has been taken to rebuild the village resettle the displaced, several villagers complained.

Mr.Thavasilingam requested the displaced families to provide data needed for the rebuilding of the devastated village. He said that the progress of de-mining of villages in other parts of the Trincomalee district by the organizations currently entrusted with clearing has been less than satisfactory and he will consider handing over the de-mining operation in Kaddaiparichchan village to another institution.

Mr.A.A.Wijeyaratnam of Trincomalee Rotary Club and Mr.T. Muralitharan, Trincomalee Project Director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) also attended the discussions and expressed their support for the rebuilding of Kaddaiparichchan and asked the officials to provide them with supporting data.

Mr.Niroshan, Trincomalee District Director of the SDC organized the discussion.