EASTERN PROVINCE: RETURNS NEARLY COMPLETE BUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 COLOMBO 001165

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INSB

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/08/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF PHUM PTER EAID MOPS CE
SUBJECT: EASTERN PROVINCE: RETURNS NEARLY COMPLETE BUT
REINTEGRATION SLOW; SECURITY IMPROVEMENTS FRAGILE

COLOMBO 00001165 001.2 OF 004


Classified By: AMBASSADOR PATRICIA A. BUTENIS. REASONS: 1.4 (B, D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Emboffs met with local authorities, community
leaders, United Nations (UN) officials, and returnees in
Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts in the Eastern Province.
Returns of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to these
districts are nearly complete but land issues, livelihoods,
housing, restrictions on freedom of movement, lack of
services, demining, and humanitarian space pose continuing
challenges to reintegration. Interlocutors reported a
fragile improvement in general SECURITY conditions, and but
serious human rights violations continue and generalized
anxiety remains. END SUMMARY.

VISIT TO EASTERN PROVINCE
--------------


2. (C) Embassy officers visited Batticaloa and Trincomalee
districts in the Eastern Province from December 13-16, 2009.
In Batticaloa, officers met with Government Agent S.
Arumainayagam, Mayor Sivageetha Prabhakaran, United NATIONAL
Party (UNP) Provincial COUNCIL member T.A. Masilamani, UN
officials, a Catholic Bishop, the president of the local NGO
Consortium and people who had returned from displacement. In
Trincomalee, officers met with Governor of the Eastern
Province, Rear Admiral Mohan Wijewickrema; Government Agent
and District Secretary, Major General T.R.R. de Silva; Chief
Minister Sivanesethurai Chandrakanthan (a.k.a. Pillayan);
UNHCR, local human rights groups, and returned IDPs.

MULTIPLE WAVES OF DISPLACEMENT
--------------


3. (SBU) While the international community is currently
focused on displacement in the North, the Eastern Province
has experienced multiple waves of displacement and returns
over the last 20 years. Sri Lankans originating from the
East were displaced both within the province and into the
Vanni. IDPs within the Eastern Province were displaced,
sometimes multiple times, by conflict in the 1990s, by GSL
military operations as they captured LTTE-controlled areas
during 2006/2007 and by the May 2007 establishment of a High
Security Zone (HSZ) in Sampoor/ Muthur East. IDPs displaced
from the East to the Vanni were caught up in the violence
there and then trapped in closed camps. Some had moved to
the Vanni to marry northerners or for economic opportunity,
others had gone there intending a short family visit or
business trip. Some of those who developed ties to the Vanni
came to the East as a way to escape closed camps and are
considering going back to the Vanni once conditions there
allow it.

RETURNS NEARLY COMPLETE
--------------


4. (U) According to UNHCR, returns within the Eastern
Province have been ongoing since late 2006 and had recently
picked up pace with returns from the Vanni. Camps are
rapidly emptying, but significant numbers remain displaced
with host families or other temporary locations. Over the
past three years, Batticaloa has seen 123,907 returns from
within the district, and 2,788 returns from the Vanni. As of
mid-November, the GSL reported just 825 people remaining in
displacement with host families. Over the same time period,
Trincomalee experienced significant returns within the
district, 21,401 returns from Batticaloa, 9,364 from the
Vanni (including 2,256 special needs cases released to host
families),and 5,834 returns from India. An estimated 7,150
people remained displaced with host families or in transit
sites as of December 14.

COLOMBO 00001165 002.2 OF 004




5. (SBU) The largest remaining camp, Killevetti, in Muthur
division, is slated for a returns operation of 600 of 817
remaining families in the imminent future. Killevetti is
largely made up of persons displaced by the Sampur HSZ. The
HSZ was re-designated as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and
will contain two coal plants. The zoned area was reduced
from eleven to four Grama Niladari divisions (villages),but
still left many without a home. IDPs from the restricted
area had proposed nearby sites for relocation after rejecting
those assigned by the GSL, reportedly due to unwillingness to
live next to a particular caste. Others had accepted
relocation, and some had permits to cultivate specific land
plots within the SEZ. The GSL has stated its intention to
compensate those who lost land to the SEZ but has not
provided details to UNHCR on how to seek such compensation.
Many original inhabitants have lived on the land for
centuries without deeds and would likely be ineligible.

CHALLENGES TO REINTEGRATION CONTINUE
--------------


6. (SBU) Land, livelihoods, and shelter are universally
identified as top priorities for returnees. Those with
proper documentation have largely been able to regain their
land, but many still rely on family for support. New
households are seeking new land. One IDP returnee explained
that she and her eleven siblings and their spouses had to
divide up their fathers, land, leaving insufficient paddy
space for each household to maintain itself. Many returnees
relied on land permits during displacement and did not own
land to which to return. Some have been assigned land by
local authorities. Others are squatting in abandoned homes.
One female IDP woman had moved with her ailing parents and
daughter from house to house and was told by the owner of her
current house that they must leave when he returned in
January. Land ownership is crucial to cultivation, which
most returnees rely on for income. While some land was
available for lease, IDPs reported that a lack of start-up
funds keep them from obtaining enough land to make a profit.
Some returnees work as day laborers, but the cost of
transport to worksites was half their daily pay. Access to
fishing areas has improved in recent months. Recent
returnees qualified for temporary shelter from UNHCR, and
some had received permanent houses through the North East
Housing Reconstruction Programme (NEHRP),but others
identified housing as an urgent need.


7. (SBU) Restrictions on freedom of movement also impact
livelihoods. In some areas, registration is required to
leave the district, in others everyone is required to
register on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, thus limiting travel
for work. Even where formal restrictions are not in place,
fear creates self-imposed limitations. One returnee
commented that every Tamil family has at least one educated
person, but they were too afraid of being picked up by
security forces to seek work in towns. Vanni returnees were
held under particular suspicion of LTTE association. Civil
documentation such as NATIONAL identity cards, birth
certificates (required for school enrollment),death
certificates and marriage certificates are difficult to
access.


8. (SBU) Lack of services is discouraging returns and drew
people to urban centers, away from rural points of origin.
For example, Poloff spoke to Sinhalese returnees cultivating
their fields in Namalwatte, while their families remained in
Kantale, the site of their displacement two hours away. They
expressed interest in moving home if they had permanent
housing, health facilities, and schools. Some Nochichikulam

COLOMBO 00001165 003.4 OF 004


returnees reportedly left for Trincomalee so their children
could attend upper-level schools. Interlocutors highlighted
the need for livelihood assistance for "widows" who lost
their husbands to violence or detention camps. Proposed
livelihood projects include poultry farming, sewing, weaving
textiles, and home gardens.


9. (SBU) Incomplete demining impedes returns and creates an
ongoing risk. Some areas in Chenkalady and Kiran have not
yet been demined. As international attention and funding
moved to the North, so too did demining NGOs and Sri Lankan
Army demining units. There is a need to clear agricultural,
as well as residential land. If returnees go to uncertified
areas, they risk mine incidents, and humanitarian actors
cannot access them.


10. (C) Humanitarian space in Eastern returns areas remains a
challenge as different GSL elected and appointed officials
angle for control and resources. UN actors are able to
operate fairly well as long as they coordinate closely with
local authorities. International NGOs face more oversight
and severe limits on international staff. The Government
Agent in Trincomalee, in particular, demands detailed
information on all projects and is viewed as a bullying
micromanager. In his view, his involvement is required to
ensure that internationals did not waste funds or spend it
all on Tamils. The Chief Minister, on the other hand, urged
that all funds be channeled through his office so that they
did not all go to Sinhalese. Protection work has received
the most scrutiny, and organizations which had incorporated
protection into other sectors such as shelter met the least
restrictions.

IMPROVEMENT IN SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS
--------------


11. (SBU) Interlocutors universally reported fragile
improvement in SECURITY conditions but stressed that serious
human rights violations continue, and normalization has not
yet been achieved. UN actors emphasized rule of law and
access to justice as essential parts of early recovery and
development, which should not be overshadowed by
infrastructure and livelihoods projects.


12. (C) There reportedly are fewer checkpoints on the main
roads, though not in the interior. Travel to certain returns
areas, such as military-controlled Kiran, still requires
permission from the local commander. Police are increasingly
taking charge in towns, but the military maintains its strong
presence in rural areas. UN actors reported that police had
"some positive attitude" but lacked confidence. On the other
hand, a group of Sinhalese returnees perceived the military
as disciplined and the police as corrupt. Since last year,
500 Tamils and Muslims have been recruited for police
training school to increase the force's Tamil-speaking
capacity. They havebeen dispersed to Colombo, the North, and
the East. SECURITY improvements have improved access to
livelihoods -- locals are reportedly more willing to travel
into the interior to cultivate and to fish at night.
Handover of military-occupied buildings to civilians has
increased, though many citizens remain displaced by troops.
In Batticaloa, 350 private properties are still occupied by
the military. Police and the Criminal Investigation Unit
(CID) still conduct home searches, particularly of returnees.


13. (C) Serious incidents such as abductions and killings has
decreased, but numbers remained alarming. In 2008, UNHCR
verified 85 abductions and 61 killings reported in
Trincomalee. In 2009, UNHCR verified 33 abductions and 42
killings as of mid-December. The Catholic Bishop cited 60

COLOMBO 00001165 004.2 OF 004


reports of disappearances since the war ended in May. A
local women's group has recorded 120 disappearances over the
past 10 months. The Tamil Makkai Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP),
security forces and Special Task Force (STF) are identified
as likely responsible. In addition to being gross violations
of human rights, these incidents leave families traumatized
and without a source of income. Sexual and gender-based
violence is an increasing concern, and UNHCR is developing a
program to improve local GSL response capacity.


14. (C) Despite overall improvements, generalized anxiety
remains palpable. Vanni returnees fear they will be detained
or arrested for alleged LTTE ties, despite having undergone
screening. The Catholic Bishop implored emboffs not to
reveal him as a contact. The UNP Provincial COUNCIL member
has recently moved to a rented home because he fears for his
life. His son had been stopped on the street and told to
tell his father to pack up and leave Batticaloa. Returnees
were reluctant to speak openly with Poloff. Families also
remain anxious about their relatives in detention. One
returnee thanked the U.S. for its role in securing his
release from camp but called on President Obama, in
particular, to push for release of detainees.

COMMENT
--------------


15. (C) As we look to IDP return issues in the North, lessons
can be learned from the East. The eastern experience
demonstrates that returning people to their points of origin
is only a first step, and that the reintegration process
requires the political will, and funding to provide for
access to justice, land, livelihoods, and services. The
international community should continue to advocate for
increased freedom of movement, access to civil documents and
demilitarization of the East and the North. Continued
international attention is needed to accelerate and maintain
recent improvements in security. Funding should continue for
development projects that support successful long-term
reintegration of the displaced populations into their
original communities.
BUTENIS