In Pictures: Tamil families return to village abandoned for more than two years
144 members of 44 internally displaced Tamil families, who had fled from Muthur east in Trincomalee district in 2006 due to military operations of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), were transported in six state sector buses on October 22nd from several welfare centres in Batticaloa district for resettlement in their village Cheanaiyoor, a once flourishing town and now deserted, civil society sources in Trincomalee said. The buses traveled via Vaakarai, south of the Trincomalee district, with police protection.
The families were temporarily sheltered in the abandoned buildings of the Cheanaiyoor Central College. The buildings of the college have been damaged due to the April 2006 military operation of the SLA.
All houses and properties have been damaged and abandoned due to military operation.
Cheanaiyoor is located in the Muthur east next to the village Kaddaiparichchaan.
Resettled IDP families have been provided with relief and cooked meals until they clear their damaged dwellings and wells which have been abandoned for more than two years, divisional secretariat sources said.
However, several recently resettled IDPs in their villages and officials from Trincomalee District Secretariat have complained to K. Thurairatnasingham, a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP from Trincomalee, that adequate clean drinking water, and latrine facilities were lacking, civil society sources said.
The IDPs have also complained during the period they were displaced the homes haven broken into and the windows, doors and tiles have been removed, but the local officials have not taken any steps to renovate the damaged houses or provide assistance, K.Thurairatnam added.
Several IDPs who fled Muthur East still continue to languish in temporary shelters, due to creation of High Security Zones and restrictions. The schools in the area are not functioning as IDPs have taken shelter in many schools, according to Tamil daily Thinakkural.
How IDPs in Muthur East found their houses on return after two years living in camps in Batticaloa:
Pictures by Doctorandus Sarajevo
Deputy Director of Chenaiyoor school in his office two year after he had to flee from the area
Structural destruction in Muthur East
Assembly hall of the school in Kaddaiparichan North two years after the people fled from the area.
