By Our Correspondent
Bangalore: If Sri Lankan Tigers
are saying patience is running out, Tuesday's bomb attack followed by
military air strikes only means time is running out for those affected
by conflict and debilitated by the tsunami in the north and east of the
island nation.
Humanitarian activists in Sri Lanka warn that escalation of violence could lead to a complex emergency for the internally displaced, especially in the most affected northern part controlled by Tigers as well as the eastern areas controlled partly by Tigers and partly in government hands.
There have been reports of heightened violence in the north and east of the country over the past three weeks targeted at security forces. About a 100 are said to have died, around 70 of them soldiers.
"When two big elephants fight it is the grass that suffers,'' pointed out a humanitarian worker who wished not to be named. The violation of the ceasefire has occurred in the presence of humanitarian bodies like the International Committee of the Red Cross, the custodian of the Geneva Convention.
There are indications that humanitarian workers involved in the tsunami rehabilitation are already feeling the heat. Fr Jayabalan Croos, a parish priest in the predominantly Catholic Mannar in the northern province said that a jeep carrying workers of a Church charity was blown up in a landmine blast in Jaffna during the Holy Week (April 9 - 14), killing two.
"Some of the foreign groups have pulled out and others are unable to work. I prefer not going out," Fr Croos said in a telephonic interview. "There can be no development without peace."
Before the tsunami peace was ostensibly seen during the ceasefire. More people were leading regular day to day life, school attendance went up and there were fewer bullets fired. Development workers in the island country point out that in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami the situation worsened. It was strongly felt that rather than turn it into an opportunity for peace further divisions were created.
Sri Lanka is just about recovering from the colossal damage inflicted by the tsunami. A natural disaster even in normal situation places enormous burden on the poor; in war ravaged Sri Lanka the toll is even more. "Another war will bring the tsunami response to a standstill,'' warn humanitarian activists.
Sources in the refugee office in India say that 545 Sri Lankan refugees have landed in Rameshwaram in groups from Jan 12 onwards. While no refugees have been entering the country in the last few days, the inflow is expected again with the bombings and air raids.