 EMBASSY OF SRI LANKA COUNTRY INFORMATION UPDATE SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 REHABILITATION PROGRESS IN NORTHERN SRI LANKAN The visit to Sri Lanka last week of UN Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, Lynn Pascoe, highlighted the progress made so far to rebuild Northern Sri Lanka to allow accelerated resettlement of displaced persons. That work includes: INFRASTRUCTURE, ROADS AND TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT Repairs on major highways of the Northern Province are under way. Roads now under renovation include the A9, A32, A 14, A 17, A 34, A 35 AB 19, AB 20 (Jaffna – Point Pedro) and B 229 (Murungan- Silavaturai). Work on access roads to highways and rural villages is also underway. HEALTH AND WATER SUPPLY Renovation work of 12 rural health centers and hospitals in Killinochi, Mannar and Vavuniya district is due to be completed by mid-October. The Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition is also planning to renovate Killinochchi base hospital. Livelihood Development Approximately 60 lorries of commercial goods and agricultural products were transported to and from Jaffna peninsula through A9 ( Jaffna - Kandy) highway in the month of August. Repairs to large irrigation systems in the Jaffna district (Thondaman Aru) and the Giant tank (reservoir) and Agathimuruppu tank in Mannar district have been completed. Fish production in the Jaffna peninsula has also increased and 1,731 metric tons fish production was reported in the month of July. The production in May was just (?) metric tons. EDUCATION: DISPLACED CHILDREN TAKE ENTRANCE EXAMS Of the Northern Province’s 1,011 schools, 575 are now open and repairs are underway in damaged schools. The Ministry of Education reports that General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advance Level examinations (University entrance examination) were held at 10 special examination centers in Vavuniya for 1,263 displaced candidates who are presently housed in IDP welfare villages. Among them, 166 ex-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) child soldiers also sat for Advanced Level exams. The Zonal Education Office in Vavuniya successfully held grade five scholarship examination for 5,465 children living in welfare villages and in the transitional camps in Cheddikulam. The Zonal Office and non-government organizations operating in Vavuniya district had provided stationery for the children who sat for the exams. ELECTRICITY The Ministry of Power and Energy has initiated a program to restore the power supply in the Killinochchi, Vavuniya and Mullaithivu districts. Power in the Killinochchi town area, Oddusudan, Mankulam, Nedunkerni, Pallimudoi and almost all areas in Mannar district has been restored. MONETARY AND MATERIAL ASSISTANCE The Government of Sri Lanka will provide returning displaced families with $220, galvanized roofing sheets, free dry rations for 6 months, kitchen utensils and equipment required for daily living needs to the equivalent to US $ 35-$40, as well as agricultural seed and equipment and fishing supplies for coastal communities. REHABILITATION OF FORMER CHILD SOLDIERS Sri Lanka has implemented a comprehensive rehabilitation program for rescued child soldiers. The government has established two Children’s Protective Accommodation and Rehabilitation Centers (PARC) in Ambepussa, Kegalle (Central Sri Lanka) and Poonthottam Cooperative training School in Vavuniya. Facilities for education and catch-up education, vocational training, recreational activities and special educational programs are also available. The centers feature telephone and meeting facilities that allow former child-soldiers to meet with parents, immediate family members and close relatives. Food and lodging for visiting family members is provided by the centers in collaboration with the UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The government continues to work closely with UNICEF on pending cases of underage recruitment. DE-MINING Initial surveys of Northern Sri Lanka suggest that there are as many as 1.5 million LTTE landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) over an area of 402 square kilometers. Sri Lanka has now purchased 10 de-mining machines
from Slovakia and Croatia for $5 million. The machines can clear
5,000 square meters of land in a day, compared to 10 square meters
for each human de-mining technician. As at the end of August, a total of 445,370,401square meters have been cleared of mines and UXOs. The government of Sri Lanka has so far spent $64 million on de-mining operations. DISPLACED PERSONS BY WELFARE CENTER
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