in Jaffna ~ pic: india.ca

Unfortunately, as I discovered on a visit to Jaffna last week, there were also promises the government made and did not keep which has bitterly disappointed the people. They include the reunification of detainees in the camps with their families, and the dismantling of High Security Zones to enable people to get back their long lost lands.

The last occasion I had travelled along the A9 highway up to Jaffna was in 2005 during the period of the Ceasefire Agreement and just prior to the fateful Presidential Election that the LTTE decreed the Tamil people should boycott. Even at the tail end of the ill fated Ceasefire there was quite a lot of traffic on the road beyond Vavuniya and running through the LTTE-controlled area. Large numbers of Sinhalese people from the South used the period of the Ceasefire to make the pilgrimage to the historic place of Buddhist worship in Nagadipa, which is among the eight most sacred Buddhist places of worship on the island.

But there was a difference this time. The travelers in the buses were more relaxed. This was evident in the fact that at various intervals along the road there were groups of people who had stopped their buses and were having little picnics by the side of the road. By way of contrast, during the period of the Ceasefire there was a more regimented flow of traffic. The LTTE monitored the road north of Vavuniya and drivers of vehicles took care to observe the strict speed limits set by the LTTE, as its traffic police could impose stiff fines on those who violated their traffic rules.

During the Ceasefire period, there was also an apprehension of LTTE cadre and roadside landmines that deterred travelers from getting off their vehicles and relaxing by the roadside. This was accompanied by the belief that the LTTE did not permit anyone to get off their vehicles between Vavuniya and Jaffna, and no one appeared willing to take the chance that they might indeed mean business. The LTTE was then a powerful force, and a virtual government in that part of the country. But now with the LTTE defeated and destroyed nine months ago, there was no fear factor to deter the pilgrim traveller.

In their bid to win the votes of the people, government politicians have been emphasising the government’s victory in war over the LTTE, which previous governments were unable to do. Unless handled sensitively, this triumphal attitude cans spill over into one that sees the North as a place of conquest rather than a place of equal citizenship. There is an urging of the Sinhalese people in the South to travel to the North to see the history of their country and appreciate the sacrifice of the soldiers who heroically fought the war and, of course, the political leadership who made this all possible.

There was a widespread belief amongst the people I spoke to in Jaffna that there was government sponsorship of the Sinhalese pilgrims who are coming to the North. But this was not borne out by my inquiries. The buses that come from the South invariably hold rural people who are coming on a religious pilgrimage of their own.

Indeed, the increased tourist traffic from the South into Jaffna is incredible. When I went to the Nallur Temple on Saturday morning, I saw more than ten buses of all sizes, big and small, parked by and streams of pilgrims going into the temple precincts. This increased tourism has been a boon to some sectors of the population in Jaffna and given a boost to the local economy. There is a high demand for local products such as dried fish and prawns and palymrah products.

Apparently the demand is so high that similar products from the South are imported to Jaffna and sold to unsuspecting customers who are prepared to pay premium prices to obtain something authentically Jaffna.

Rooms in hotels and guesthouses are also marketed at a premium rate of between Rs 2000 to 4000 per night. This matches the rates in Colombo and other parts of the country where the main market is for foreign tourists. This has led some house owners in Jaffna to terminate their tenancy agreements and convert their spare rooms into guest rooms for the local tourists.

Despite this market-induced increase in the number of rooms available for tourists the number falls significantly short of the demand. During the years of the war, investment in housing and property in Jaffna was understandably low. Not many people wished to put their investments in assets that might be blown up in the course of fighting. As a result many of the pilgrims coming in from the South are unable to find affordable accommodation.

This impels many of the pilgrims to find temporary accommodation in public spaces such as parks and inside the buses that transport them which are parked in public places. But this again is part of the pilgrimage tradition in the South, where pilgrims to other sacred places such as Adam’s Peak and Kataragama also engage in similar practices.

But for Jaffna this type of mass influx of pilgrims is a new experience. The shortage of infrastructure in Jaffna also extends to toilet and washing facilities. These are factors that are causing distress amongst the local population that need to be dealt with in a suitable manner by the government authorities. There are reports that the government is planning to convert some abandoned buildings into pilgrim rests which is to be welcomed.

However, the lack of infrastructure facilities to accommodate the influx of pilgrims is not the only concern of the people in Jaffna. Another of the concerns expressed to me by those I spoke to in Jaffna was the lack of seriousness and respect with which their religious shrines were being treated. Most of the Southern pilgrims to the North would be only coming to Hindu temples as the lesser part of their pilgrimage to the ancient Buddhist place of worship at Nagadipa. Going to a Hindu temple is a serious matter for those who are Hindus.

True worshippers are expected to have a bathe or at least wash their feet before entering the temple. But the pilgrims who have come from far away are often in no position to conform to these requirements. On some occasions the men may not remove their shirts although tradition dictates that they must. However, this disrespectful attitude is certain to be only by a small minority. When I passed a packed bus of pilgrims just leaving the Nallur Temple, I heard the traditional sounds of Buddhist veneration Saadu, Saadu from within.

Another set of grievances relate to the traders who have set up rows of shops around the Nallur temple and made the usually quiet and serene precincts into a kind of bazaar. Many if not most of these traders are Sinhalese and the people I spoke to believe that most of them have some connections with either the government or security personnel, which is why the Jaffna municipal authorities are unable to take action against them.

Although the end of the war is a relief to all sections of the population, it is clear that the people of Jaffna are not happy with the way the future is unfolding, a future they which they may misunderstand and which they believe they have no power to prevent at the present time.

This goes back to the origin of the ethnic conflict, and indeed to the war itself, and to the feeling amongst the Tamil people that they were a marginalised community who have had no power to determine the course of their lives. It is indeed worrisome that at the Presidential Election that was held in January and now again at the General Election to be held in April, the issue of a just and mutually acceptable political solution to the ethnic conflict is nowhere close to the centre stage in the campaign.

The slogans of the main political parties, both of the government and opposition are bereft of mention of such an initiative. As a beginning in creating a just and mutually acceptable political solution, the government could seek to work closer with the local authorities to ensure that there is better regulation of the people’s pilgrimage to Jaffna.