ලංකාපුවත්, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ජාතික ප්‍රවෘත්ති නියෝජිත ආයතනය.

(Colombo Lankapuvath) With a thousand dreams and hopes bundled up in 49 year old L P Ariyawathi of Matara Thihagoda was among dozens of Sri Lankan women flying to the Middle East as house maids.

A bright future for her three children was all that Ariyawathi saw as she boarded a plane to Saudi Arabia on March 2010. She was to work in a mansion in Riyadh Saudi Arabia where a family of 05 children was residing, the first few days were very peaceful and happy for her as she was treated as one of the family but everything changed in a matter of time.

The slightest mistake made by her made her employers go wild and beat her not regarding her as a women, Ariyawathi found it very difficult to understand what her masters expected from her.

The punishments she received from the masters were unearable and one day the worst nightmare happened has Ariyawathi accidently dropped a saucer and the torture began. It was since then that her master began to insert nail to her body by force. The husband of the house of inserted the heated nails while the wife held her. None of the children even came for her savior and the torture continued despite her painful cries.

“You will be killed if you scream” was the only response she got from her masters and she was not even granted one minutes rest. She worked while her arms and legs swelled and her wounds worsened and bled.

Looking in to the daily matters of the 5 children, cooking cleaning and washing and all other duties in the house had to be completed by Ariyawathi and she went on doing them as she had her own family to think of and the love for her life.

The insertion of nails was the latest punishment and Ariyawathi was afraid of making even one single mistake as she feared the punishment and worst of all the pain.

In one incident when Ariyawathi failed to bring an Apple when she was asked to and took a Tomato the angry master inserted a nail as a punishment.

Ariyawathi’s husband and children who were concerned about her and was worried since there was no news from her reported it to the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment. As a result of this Ariyawathi contacted her husband after a one week’s time and measures were taken to bring her back to Sri Lanka. It was the effort of her husband and children that she is now in Sri Lanka.

“My landlady gave me my belongings and dropped me to the Saudi AirPort where a member of the agency was there and he told me that the air ticket was arranged with a three months salary while and the salary of the other two months was given to me”

“It was very difficult for me to even walk and the member of the Agency asked me why but still I didn’t reveal the story to him” she said. She has not even mentioned her condition to the officers at the AirPort for the fear of her life.

Ariyawathi had to return to the motherland with all her hopes and dreams of a better future shattered.
Even after arriving she has not told her family members what has happened, Ariyawathi has told that she pricked a thorn on her foot and which is why she found it difficult to walk. Since she found it very difficult to walk her son has taken her to the hospital and that was where she revealed her true story to the Doctor.

The Doctor immediately provided her with necessary medication for tetanus and admitted her to the Kamburupitiya Base hospital for further treatment.

Dr Kamal Weerathunga scanned her and took X-rays which showed that she had 24 nails in her body.

According to the Acting Director of the Kamburupitiya Base hospital, Dr Prabhath Gajadeera said that it is not possible to remove all nails but the nails which can be removed would be removed by surgery.

A three hour long surgery was done on her where 18 nails were removed from Ariywathi yesterday (27). There are five more nails remaining in her body, which the Doctors at the hospital pronounced as not harmful to her.

Investigations in this regard would be held to take necessary legal action said the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment. The Chairman of the Bureau has ordered the relevant officials to act promptly and visit Ariyawathi to get more details from her and to get a statement from her.

The statement of Ariyawathi would be translted and sent to the Embassy to get a compensation for her and to take legal action said Deputy Minister of Economic Development Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena.

The Bureau has also taken measures to translate all media reports on Ariyawathi to Arab language and to hand them over to the Arabian Media. The Bureau said that they will contribute their best to the case and will assure that such incidents will not take place in future.

Those who visit Arabia does not have dreams of becoming Millionaires or Multimillionaires but all they wish for is a little financial relief and to support their family and kids to provide them with a better future. 
It is the responsibility of all officials to prevent such inhuman acts taking place.

(Colombo Lankapuvath) In the wee hours of the 10th of November 1993, a battle started amidst a hail of bullets being fired from both ends and yet Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces managed to cling on to the Poonaryn Camp.

The camp would have been in the hands of the enemy if not for the sacrifice of the valiant troop who fought till the end, they fought for three whole days.

  
One of the most fearsome battles ever fought and remembered during the war against the LTTE terrorists and a battle which claimed the lives of thousands of soldiers while injuring the same amount was the fight in Poonaryn. The lives of 824 LTTE soldiers were also lost during the battle.

The battle was not fought alone by the SL Army but with the assistance of the Sri Lanka Navy where they were called in for support at a very crucial point of the battle. The memories of the devastating battle were brought to life by one Senior Naval officer who is presently a Parliamentarian, Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara.

Speaking to Lankapuvath of his experience in the battle field and the support extend by the Navy became one of the most emotional discussion. However he did mentioned that the Navy had a very little part to play in the battle but he did speak of the role played by Nature in support of the SL armed forces. Stepping in to the story he began to say “by the end of the next day of the battle, the Poonaryn camp was surrounded by the enemy and the food and medicine airlifted and drooped to the armed forces were also went to the hands of the of the LTTE. Lieutenant Coronal  T T R de Silva and many other officers were trapped and there were very few chances that they survived another 24 hours.

I was also called for the discussion which were held in Palali in reference to the quick action which should be taken to save our troopers from the plight they were in. the discussions were held at the crucial time and the then Army Commander Lieutenant General Sisil Waidyarathne, Navy Commander Vice Rear Admiral   Mohan Samarakoon and the then Jaffna Commander in Chief Rohan Daluwattha participated.
The only way which was left in saving the trapped Troopers was the sea route but yet by at it was not possible to launch vessel to sea as dawn was breaking and if the vessels carrying forces were dispatched there was a high risk that the enemy would get a visual of. The normal procedure was that the vessels are dispatched before the sun rises and the other risk was that the enemy was expecting us to arrive from sea routes.

Every second of that moment counted was the lives of the troopers trapped in the Poonaryn area counted however it was also necessary to send backup support for them and all the officers were clues as to what the next step should be.
At that time I took up the challenge and one Senior officer who was present at the meeting embraced me and said “you volunteered to take of the challenge”.

Admiral was then based in Kareinagar and that’s where he planned his mission to rescue the trapped troopers. I gathered around 1000 soldiers and I explained to them the situation in Poonaryn and the importance of saving their lives. There was one question which I put across them and that was, Who will join me in the quest of saving our fellow troopers? And surprising every one stepped forward for the mission while I picked a few whom I thought was suitable.
There after I prepared 8 small boats and a “land craft” for the battle, along with 300 Commodores and the then team leader Shantha Kottegoda was later promoted as Army Commander.

 The mission was almost as a suicidal mission has we were sailing in broad day light. As we were passing Nagadeep I made a silent vow, I prayed that all who are traveling with to be saved and to accomplish the mission I took over.

The then Air Force Chief in Jaffna was guiding us with their aerial assistance. However as we were nearing our target heavy rains started to pour down on us. “The rain came down almost as a blessing as the enemy couldn’t see us in the heavy rain, the time might have been around 10.00 am as I remember” he said.  Our radar system was working just as we expected and I was always conscience in taking my boats under the clouds which prevented the enemy from getting a clear footage of our boats.

The dark clouds cleared when were about 6 Km away from Poonaryn and that’s when the LTTE had a clear view of our boats. To them it seemed as we appeared from the middle of the sea out of nowhere. As soon as they had a clear visual of our boats their guns started firing directly at us.

The enemy failed to fire at us as they were not expecting us at that time which enabled all out troopers to safely reach Poonaryn. The enemy retreated at this point.

Once we reached the area we started our mission without even sparing one minute and once again regained the area.
In one of the reports of the Air Force it was mentionedby Jayalath Weerakkodi that this mission was the best “landing”.
Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara was awarded the “Rana Wickrama” medal by the then President Chandrila Bandaranaike Kumarathunga.

The Rear Admiral went on to another story in relation to the Poonaryn attack and it was about a young Naval Officer who was transferred to Nagathewanthurei and he had come to the Kareinagar camp to take his flight where he was to take office after two days. 

I asked him to rest in the camp for two days and promised to send him to Nagathewanthurei on a chopper two days later. That evening on my return to the camp after a football match, I saw him fishing and he had caught a fish which was not even dead at that time. It was struggling for the life and the officer was holding on to the hook from the mouth.

That was the night the Poonaryn attack began, and after my return to the camp I heard that he had left the camp with one of his friend who was a pilot. When I inquired after the officer I heard that he had reached his destination at around 06.00 am while he was shot dead at around 8 am the same day.

Rear Admiral went on to say that he was shocked to hear of the way he had died. “the only picture on my mind was the way the fish he caught was struggling for the life”. The officer had been first shot on the mouth and the second bullet had struck him on his leg. “I did pay a visit to his grave and wondered, if he had waited two more days this would not be his fate”.

(Colombo Lankapuvath) It was indeed a pleasant journey towards the East of Sri Lanka after many years as we proceeded along to our destination; Batticaloa the capital of Eastern Sri Lanka. The road stretched endlessly and except for a few repairs and expansion here there the journey was smooth and comfortable.

We reached our destination past mid-day and were welcomed with glasses of fresh sweet cucumber juice. That was the beginning of our tour. We felt and noticed the change in the air, vegetation and heat as we passed from Kurunegala to Dambulla, Habarana, Polonnaruwa and finally Batticaloa itself, from coconut palms to Palmirah, but one fact was as constant as the sun the paddy fields, the popular staple food of all Sri Lankans, binding us in food. There were no interruptions, fear or doubts as three years ago when Sri Lanka was determinedly fighting for reestablishment of peace and war-free coexistence. We think gratefully of the Armed Forces that made this possible; as we set off to view the developments after the war.

We were able to see for ourselves how some combatants or child soldiers were being rehabilitated to lead normal lives and enjoy their youth through gainful and self-rewarding exercise. Batches of young girls and boys were being trained in free expression, job training leading to self-employment in a number of years. 

We chanced to meet a group of girls taking to beauty culture, and who were quite happy about their new assignments mingling happily with others, who do not look down upon them.

Some were receiving training in the production of bakery foods such as bread, buns, savoury buns, cake etc.

In fact we were served some delicious butter cake turned out by them. Their instructors too were happy about their progress.

Electric wiring, minor repair are no more a male’s task. The young group of trainees in electric wiring and repairs were a mixed group with no gender bias, and they said that after their training they could find employment in the construction sector which shows signs of expansion.

Some of those youths are provided residential facilities quite secure, while some come from their homes, or relatives’. They are there early for their training and get-together and return by evening.  These trainees were seen at the District Sarvodaya Centre in Batticaloa, where they are quite safe and facilities provided for a decent transformation into civil society.

Besides the training programmes they are also engaged in agriculture, dairy farming still at an initial stage but with plans for expansion.

Other training programmes are also conducted here, and income used for sustenance of the place. Much is done in an area of 24 acres, kept clean and mosquito-free and an exemplary institution in the East of Sri Lanka.

Moving from there we travelled to the tourist interest in Sri Lanka. The Arugam Bay- world’s best surfing bay. Even in the early hours the bay was full of visitors- who would want to miss such a sight? Such an experience in the lovely blue waters in the sun? It was safe, clean, and secure with no sound or threat of attacks or explosions. There were foreign tourists holding onto their surfing boards as well as local ones arriving in bus loads. I believe after many years of hell in the East.

I wondered why we fail to appreciate the beauty of nature Sri Lanka is abundantly blessed with, be it in the Centre, South, North, West or East. It is indeed a God’s paradise bestowed on us, where the land and sea gives us enough yields of many kinds, colour and use, be it grain, vegetable, fruit or flowers, animals, birds or fish.

A foreign tourist may give his or her worth for a jumbo prawn, or crab, fresh melon, mango or pineapple, an elephant’s ride, a deer’s gaze, a peacock dance or most of all a Sri Lankan smile.

Moving onto Passikuda another tourist attraction in the east of Sri Lanka, we passed through Kaladi Eravur- Valechchenai, all developing areas in the East- Paddyfields in Nithtavior attracted us much

The paddy fields extended as far down as Ampara. On one side we saw the use of human labour, while on the other we noticed the new threshers in use, time saving yet I believe with some handicaps in raw damp harvest being used, and the resulting cracking of the grain. Rice was in abundance in the area and we were able to purchase good red rice at Rs. 34 a kilo. Even other varieties were fairly low-roughly between Rs.40-Rs.50.

However, the area seems to be in want of more hotels and inns for tourists if we are to develop tourism as an industry.

Passing Eravur we saw a beautiful sight as from a fairytale, a settlement, with houses of multicolour studded against a green landscape of peculiar design and shape, which happened to be a settlement following the tsunami disaster, now almost in completion.

The dawn of development was also visible through the investments in coconut cultivation in a large scale, undertaken by the Coconut Cultivation Board, and associated coconut nurseries. Cashew, another income earner, has also gained ground with much land coming under cashew, followed by mango.

Almost every home garden had a coconut palm, a margosa tree, a mango tree and a drumstick (murunga) tree. Lest I forget I must mention that the lagoon shell fish curry and murunga curry was indeed a treat, to visitors. For easy catch the Batticaloa lagoon was interspersed with “Prawn Catching Waters”.

The east seems to be reviving through not only economic development, business activities and infrastructure development, but also a cultural revolution. One could detect the interest paid to education through the apparent number of schools spread throughout the district. There are state schools as well as missionary and schools run by religious institutions. Education is as important as religion to them.

A school was noticeable, within almost every 10kms. Some ardour and zeal was noticed in religious and cultural affairs. A Christian church, a kovil, a mosque stood at every populated corner, making us wonder how such a religious oriented community could take to arms, either through compulsion or voluntary choice.

Years have passed. Tragedy come and gone. Prosperity dawning in the interest of all. It is but a necessity that all communities co-exist in peaceful endeavour. Why must there be division or segregation according to race, language, religion or occupation. If the South tolerates why not the East or North. Let there be free movement for a freer Sri Lanka. 
 

(Colombo Lankapuvath) History is on the verge of being made, with the Port of Hambantota scheduled to fill it’s basin on the 15th of August, 2010. The momentous event, which will undoubtedly mark a new beginning for Sri Lanka, will be held with the initiative of President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the presence of many local and foreign dignitaries.

Half a decade ago it would have been deemed impossible what Sri Lanka has achieved in a mere two and-a-half years, and one cannot help but wonder how a technological marvel that is the Hambantota Harbour became a reality.

A monumental project such as the Hambantota Harbour could not be done without a few flaws. Technical as well as social difficulties are an inevitability when one pushes the boundaries of technology.

Some deemed that it was not mere coincidence that Hambantota was chosen as the site to build a harbour, what with being in the South were President Rajapaksa hails from.

However in his discussion with Lankapuvath, Dr. Piyath Bandu Wickrema, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority assured that this had nothing to do with the location choice.

First and foremost, it has long been rumoured that a harbour had existed in Hambantota since before Sri Lanka’s colonial era, when our country was under the rule of Sinhalese Royalty.
 What better place to choose than a spot where our ancestors thought suitable for a sea port?
Hambantota also happens to be in close proximity to international naval routes that link Europe to the East, thus making it strategically perfect for a sea port where ships can refuel and restock, where otherwise ships would have to carry large amounts of fuel and other supplies. The presence of a harbour right in the middle of the naval routes mean that less fuel and supplies need to be carried; therefore more cargo could be taken. This means the increase of profit and decrease of costs.

There is also a humanitarian side for the choosing of the location. As everyone knows, Hambantota is not at all a highly developed area. On the contrary, its one of the least developed places in the country. The Government of Sri Lanka hoped that among other things, by building a sea port, the life conditions of those in and around Hambantota could be uplifted. And its not only Hambantota that bask in the glory of the harbour; every city around Hambantota will no doubt see a rise in their social condition. The harbour will provide multiple job opportunities to thousands of people for years to come.

A massive project like the Hambantota sea port poject could not be completely finished in just a few years, for by nature the proper building of a harbour takes years of continuous labour. The dry whether in the Hambantota area was yet another reason the region was picked as a suitable building site: continuous dry whether with a minimum number of rainfall would allow labourers to continue working right throughout the year.

 Even within Hambantota, the Feasability Report done by Ramboll, a company from Denmark, highlighted 5 spots they deemed as appropriate sites for a harbour. From these 5, the place where the harbour is being built was chosen because of three main reasons; the site being a less populated area; the ease of acquiring land for investment and development; the depth of the ocean.

It may come as a surprise to many to learn that the team of specialists who planned and coordinated everything with regard to the sea port was 100% Sri Lankan, for many assumed that China would have influence on every aspect of planning. Though rest assured China does indeed play a pivotal role, their participation is solely monetary in nature.

Every single member of the team of engineers and scientists specialized in their own specific field that would contribute to the project, and were handpicked by Dr. Wickrema. They also sought help from professors from the Moratuwa University.

The Model Tests were carried out buy a fully Sri Lankan company called Lanka Hydraulics.

It seemed a near impossible feat that a team of Sri Lankan specialists would solve the near innumerable difficulties, both large and small, as and when they turn up.
 
The first choice that had to be made was “How?”- That is to say, how do they go about building the harbour? It was decided that building into the ocean was quite out of the question, Sri Lanka possessing neither the funds nor the manpower to undertake such a task.

So they would dig into the country. But it was not like there wouldn’t be problems. The next decision that had to be made was whether they would start digging from the sea and then come inland, or whether they should first dig inland and then connect it to the ocean.
The first of these methods was deemed hazardous, for when digging inland, ocean water would flood in and contaminate inland freshwater channels, causing a major ecological disaster. Plus, it would also cost more than they were prepared to spend. Therefore, the digging would start in land, and would later be connected to the ocean.

This is where the Cofferdam would be put to the use. Presently, the basin has been dug, and the only thing stopping a 60m tall tidal wave smashing into the shoreline is the mighty wall built for the sole purpose of keeping the sea out until the basin is ready.
 
The decision to use the Cofferdam to keep the water out saved Sri Lanka a ton of money, for as Dr. Wickrema said, digging underwater is no easy task. This Cofferdam, which is built on the bedrock of the shoreline itself, is an extraordinary sight to behold.

Even in the building of the Cofferdam, the team of Specialists had displayed sheer genius, for not even the Cofferdam itself was built underwater. Soil was piled on the two sides of the wall, along with a special enzyme which would prevent the soil from falling away. Even the cement used for the dam was a special mix, one which would displace the water and solidify instantaneously.

Dr. Wickrema remained mum as to how exactly the basin would be filled with water. He did however let slip a slight hint, saying that a special lake would be dug to channel the water into the basin. The process would take about 25-30 days. He quipped that if all the water was let in at once, a tsunami twice the size of the one that hit Sri Lanka back in 2004 would hit the coastline.

The Chairman of the SLPA admitted that there was some damage to nature in the building of the harbour. Many plants were destroyed over the 200 hectare area used for construction.
However, the Sri Lankan Government will attempt to make amends for the damages done.

Current construction is as nature friendly and as efficient as possible. For instance, the majority of materials was found from the construction site itself; rock and sand dug to create the basin is utilized for construction; solar energy is used to the maximum possible extent; all labourers used in construction are locals; there will be a 26km “Green Strip” built and also, a 10 Megawatt wind power plant is also planned to be built. To cap it all, water used in the construction of the sea port will be recycled so that it could be used again and again.

The Hambantota Harbour Project, back when it was planned, was set to be built in 3 separate phases. The first of those phases will be over by the end of November 2010. By then, there will be room for 4 shipping freighters to enter the harbour. The second phase, when launched will take close to 3 and half year, and by the end of that, 10 ships could be accommodated within the harbour.
 
When all three phases are done and the harbour is utterly and completely done, Hambantota Sea Port will be five times as big as Colombo Harbour.

Full ownership will be by the SLPA, which will both operate and maintain the harbour.

It will no doubt be a testament to Sri Lankan ingenuity.