OCHA Situation Report
Sri Lanka
3 - 9 February 2006
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Overall Situation
The parties to the conflict in Sri Lanka, the Government of Sri Lanka
and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), have asked Norway to
facilitate talks in Geneva from 22 to 23 February. The parties will
discuss how they can improve the implementation of the ceasefire
agreement that was signed on 22 February 2002. This is the first time in
three years that the parties meet face-to-face at such a high level.
The scheduled meeting between the political wing head of the LTTE, SP
Thamilselvan, in Kilinochchi, and the heads of international donor
agencies, to review hurdles in implementing post-tsunami and post
conflict recovery programmes was postponed on 3 February. The Heads of
the agencies--the ADB, the IMF and the World Bank, after consultation
with the government and the LTTE, have postponed their visit and will be
rescheduled after talks in Geneva take place.
Amnesty International in a report released says the human rights
situation in eastern Sri Lanka has deteriorated dramatically over the
last two years, as levels of violence have escalated, resulting in
widespread human rights abuses and a climate of fear and insecurity.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 7 February appointed Radhika
Coomaraswamy, an attorney and internationally recognized human rights
advocate from Sri Lanka, as his Special Representative for Children and
Armed Conflict. She served as the UN's Special Rapporteur on violence
against women for nearly a decade ending in 2003.
As of 31 January the total new displacement of families in the north and
east reported by UNHCR was 5,900 families. This was 4,274 families in
the Northern Province of which 2,529 families were from the Killinochchi
District, 1,292 families from Mullaithivu District, 380 families from
Mannar District and 73 families from Vavuniya District while 1,626
families were displaced in the Eastern Province of which 1,526 families
were from Trincomalee District and the rest from Batticaloa District.
Of the reported abductions of aid workers of the Tamil Rehabilitation
Organisation (TRO) seven people are still missing. The Human Rights
Commission has begun investigating these cases and has interviewed
several of the released victims while the police have questioned the
released victims.
IOM has distributed over 700 bags of rice, 500 hurricane lamps, 300
packets of tea, 15 tents, and 37 mosquito nets to families displaced
from transitional shelter sites in Trincomalee district due to the
prevalent political situation. To date, some 300 families have received
relief items from IOM in the Eachchilampattu division of Trincomalee.
IOM is coordinating with ZOA and Caritas for the distribution of relief
items to displaced people in the Soodaikudah division. Relief items
distributed in both Trincomalee and Ampara were provided by Americares.
Coordination and common services
With funding from the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department
(ECHO), IOM maintains a vehicle fleet of 50 trucks, each with a cargo
capacity of 10 metric tonnes. IOM transport activities during the months
of December and January included 285 truck dispatches.
In January 2006, the Sea Scouts in Kalutara started a six month
programme for tsunami affected children in the area. Sea Scouts is
running an outdoor programme for young people between the ages of 8-20
that also encourages parent participation. Within the Sea Scouts
programme, basic outdoor skills are developed and first aid, citizenship
and leadership skills are introduced. Youth are also taught about team
work, getting along and cooperating with one another in order to achieve
a common goal. This programme is fully funded by IOM and currently has
about 30 children participating.
To date, more than 30,000 heads of households have provided information
about themselves and the members of their family, including personal
information and details about the assistance they have received to IOM's
mobile registration programme. This represents over 120,000 people.
Japan is to support the local administration by providing 64 vehicles
for tsunami reconstruction activities at district level.
Food security
While WFP tsunami assistance was completed in the South during the last
week of January, it is in its final stages in the East of the country
and will be over by the middle of February. However, distribution is
behind schedule in the North due to delayed rice deliveries and security
concerns and will not be completed before the end of February.
Food for Work projects that were launched in 2005 is now complete
although some payments are ongoing. The fifth cash distribution of the
Cash Transfer Pilot Project, which was launched in November was carried
out through Samurdhi bank societies to beneficiaries during the fourth
week of January in all three targeted districts (Galle, Hambantota and
Batticaloa).
During 2005, under the PRRO (Protracted Relief and Recovery Operaton), a
total of 11,520 metric tonnnes of mixed food commodities, including
5,130 metric tonnnes of locally purchased rice, were received for
distribution. Another 90,922 metric tonnes of commodities will be
required in 2006-2007.
Health
WHO reports that there is a new mental health policy for Sri Lanka and
it is estimated that nearly 400,000 Sri Lankans, suffer from serious
mental illnesses. It is estimated that between 30?50 per cent of those
affected by the tsunami may experience some level of mental distress
and/or psychological problems. The new plan will provide a comprehensive
network of community services and additional staff in all districts,
patients in large hospitals will be moved to a range of new locally
based provision wherever possible and all existing staff will be
trained, the Minister of Healthcare and Nutrition has agreed to appoint
psychologists, occupational therapists and social workers, to consider
the creation of psychiatric nurses and support workers, a significant
increase in staffing in all areas with a substantial increase in nurses
and medical officers of mental health, the Ministry of Healthcare and
Nutrition, with technical assistance from WHO and in consultation with
key stakeholders has developed new mental health legislation for
consideration by Parliament.
WHO is assisting with the updating of health activities in the District
Profiles as well as the Joint UN Monitoring for Contingency Planning.
With the technical assistance of WHO the Global Tsunami Impact
Assessment Initiative will begin shortly in Sri Lanka. WHO also
continues its ongoing technical guidance in the care and maintenance of
transitional shelter sites.
Non-food items and shelter
Axia Building Technologies has announced that it has signed a joint
venture agreement with MicroConstruction, Ltd., a Sri Lankan company to
fulfill a US$1.85 million contract to build 250 affordable homes in the
tsunami-affected east of Sri Lanka.
Education
A four-day international meeting on Education is been held in Colombo
starting 8 to 11 February. Organized by the Elated School Development
Organisation (ESDO), formed by a number of NGOs, governmental bodies,
educational institutions and INGOs to cope with the educational problems
encountered after the tsunami. This meeting aims to identify some
definite set of requirements in assuring education to all the children
in a disaster situation. Action Aid is facilitating the programme.
Japan has to date provided funds for the reconstruction of 13
tsunami-damaged schools, two in Hambantota, one in Galle, two in
Kalutara, three in Ampara, one in Jaffna and four in Batticaloa.
Livelihoods
The ILO CB-TREE (Skills Development for Economic Empowerment and
Creation of Livelihoods) project was launched in Sengamam in the
Pottuvil division, Ampara District where it plans to cover at least 45
communities in Ampara and Trincomalee districts for a period of 2 years.
Sengamam is where 28 tsunami-affected families are resettled with new
houses and about to start their new life with a sense of permanency. A
rapid community planning meeting was held with representatives of all 28
families to identify proposals for group livelihood projects. The
identified projects will be developed as a training proposal and an
enterprise plan will be drawn during the training and implemented after
training. For this, coordinators and trainers of partner agencies
selected from the area will be used. A training workshop will be held in
Akkaraipattu from 8 to 10 February 2006 to train community coordinators
and trainers on the application of the methodology for communities
selected in other DS Divisions. ILO-Colombo will maintain a project
office in Ampara and work closely with the communities selected.
UNIFEM's South Asia Regional Office, in its endeavour to promote skills
development for women tsunami victims with a view to economic
rehabilitation entered into partnership with the Damrivi Foundation to
implement a professional Counselling Certificate Course with Buddhist
Insights. Accordingly the foundation will train 20 tsunami victims -
mostly women or those engaged as social workers in the tsunami-affected
areas to counsel women in a culturally and gender sensitive manner. The
course which has been made available free of charge accommodates 22
trainees from tsunami affected areas such as Hambantota, Tangalle,
Matara, Balapitiya, Galle Ambalangoda, Panadura.
In Matara, IOM is currently focusing on restoring the Kotuwegoda Public
Market, which was undergoing renovations when it was battered by the
tsunami.
The Government of Japan provided traditional type large fishing boats
and fishing gear to needy fishermen in the districts of Galle, Matara,
Hambantota, Ampara, Batticaloa and Jaffna at a ceremony held in
Unawatuna, Galle on 27 January. The boats are part of a total of 40
fishing boats donated by the Government of Japan. These boats are fitted
with a 36 horse power marine engine and contain a unique fish-hold that
would enable fishermen to stay up to 7 days at sea. The total cost of
the 40 fishing boats and gear is around 107 million rupees.
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