Sri Lankan fishermen victimised by the tsunami and local authorities
Kalutara (AsiaNews) – Sri Lanka’s fishermen feel they have been victimised not once but twice, first by the tsunami then by the decisions taken by local authorities in favour of the nascent coastal tourism industry.
In a meeting of the People’s Commission for Fisher Policy held last week at the Gangarama Temple in Kalutara organised by the National Fisheries Solidarity (NAFSO) the 80 or so fishermen present voiced all their anger and called for action.
“The tsunami came suddenly, destroyed our lives and everything we owned then went away. But we have become victims twice, first by the tsunami, and then by local authorities who are only concerned about throwing us off the beach.” Said K.A. Karunaratne, a 62-year-old fisherman from north of Kalutara.
“It’s too hard and expensive to get to the sea everyday from where we live now,” the old fisherman said. “We could leave our fishing gear in our homes on the beach, but that’s gone with the tsunami. Now we must apply to the general secretary of the provincial council for permission to leave our things on the beach. What kind of rule is that? Having to ask permission means not being able to go in our homes. We know that the government wants to develop tourism in the area and sell the land to local and foreign investors. We, too, want tourism to develop, but the government must first worry about us. We used to live well before the tsunami; now we are beggars.”
NAFSO’s young coordinator Dillan Lalin told AsiaNews that a recent study highlighted three main issues. The first one concerns the possible sale of coastal land to local and foreign businessmen as part of a strategy to develop mass tourism. “For this reason, tsunami-affected fishermen are not being helped and have been moved to locations where they cannot keep their gear. This has limited their freedom.”
Some fishermen who got housing from the Church have not received the US$ 2,550 in compensation expected from local authorities.
“Because we got a new house from our parish priest, Fr Ivan Peters of Payagala, we didn’t get any compensation. There are about 80 houses and there is no side kitchen facility and some are still without electricity. We only need to complete the work—that is why we are asking for our compensation. We could bribe a grama sevaka (local public official) to get our money, but why should we stoop to that?”
“We are not asking for much,” Rasika Thilangani, a young bride from Wadduwa, told AsiaNews. “All my husband needs is a bicycle, a box to keep the fish, a scale, some knives and some money. All the things we lost in the tsunami.”
Another fisherman, Ranjith Bollonne also from Wadduwa, told the Commission that “because of the local officials’ discriminatory policy and inhumanity we got nothing from the tsunami aid. We are still begging to live. We need officials who know their stuff, who are efficient and can help us fishermen in maintaining our activities. We must protest against the large-scale tourist industry and illegal fishing because nothing will be left to the next generation, except the sea.”
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