Post-war development in Northern Sri Lanka: the case of resettlement
On 11 April 2014
The recently published SLRC working paper titled ‘Resettlement of conflict-induced IDPs in Sri Lanka’ by CEPA researchers Chamindry Saparamadu and Aftab Lall is now available for download. The paper explores the dynamics of state policy and practice in the resettlement of conflict-induced IDPs in Northern Sri Lanka through a political economy lens.
Co-author Aftab Lall writes for the SLRC blog:
“The paper started to take shape after we visited the North in the warm month of July 2012 and met with those who had been displaced and resettled, as well as officials from the government administration, representatives of (I)NGOs and religious organisations. We wanted to find out about the government’s post-war resettlement process, which had been underway since the end of the war in 2009. Three years later, there were a significant number of people who continued to live in displacement – such was the situation for the people of Mullikulam in North West Sri Lanka. When we spoke to them they told us that the greatest threat to their lives at present were the elephants that roamed about in close proximity to their camp. They would light small fires at night to keep them at bay. Exposure to the unrelenting sun; heavy rain; swarms of flies; and of course the elephants – were just some of the conditions the people of Mullikulam were willing to put up with until they can return to their homeland, which had been appropriated by the Sri Lankan Navy.
The people of Mullikulam were living in extremely poor conditions. Living spaces were demarcated by tiny stretches of earth that had been cleared of undergrowth. Some had loosely strung tarpaulin sheet roofs, while others trusted the dense foliage for shelter. Their belongings (a few suitcases and bags) doubled up as furniture. Yet their destitute living conditions stood in stark contrast to their energy, assertiveness and the optimism with which they shared their story with us, as well as their hopes of going back home.”
Read the rest of the post here.
