Melani Manel Perera

Faithful of every ethnic and religious background visit the site on 175th jubilee. The statue is carried in procession through the streets of the city. It contains an uncorrupted piece of the saint’s tongue.

As Tamil signs disappear in northern Sri Lanka, those in Sinhalese go up. Soldiers are rebuilding Buddhist temples whilst allowing Christian churches and Hindu temples to lay in ruin even though most locals belong to these two religions. Meanwhile, monuments celebrating the Sinhalese victory are starting to dot the region, but for Tamil victims there is but oblivion.

Population’s disbelief over 201 billion rupees (1.5 billion) allocated to the Ministry of Defence despite the war ending last year. Education, health and economic development are in crisis.

In Batticaloa, the government is not interested in helping refugees who go back to their villages, destroyed by civil war. Everything must be rebuilt and money and equipment are needed. A private group is providing help to rehabilitate and rebuild in one location.

Interview with Fr Sigamony, director of Caritas-Sri Lanka, who talks about the joys, successes and problems in the daily life of people displaced by the civil war as they try to meet their everyday practical and spiritual needs.

11th award ceremony of the International Indian Film (IIFA) held today in Colombo. But Tamil groups call for a boycott in protest against the Rajapaksa government, accused of having killed thousands of Tamils.

The area is still actually in the hands of the military, which allowed the return of the population but force them to live in absolute poverty. The military blocks any attempts to improve their lives, but does not stop abuse and violence.

Initiative of group Friends of the Third World, which yesterday held the annual protest at the Burmese embassy to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the victory of Aung San Suu Kyi in elections and her arrest by the military.

Floods delay war heroes week, organized by the government to celebrate their defeat of the Tamil Tigers which claimed the lives of tens of thousands of civilians. According to Christian leaders, the people are still far from reconciliation and events like this contribute to widening the gap between Sinhalese and Tamil.

Floodwaters recede slowly. Refugee camps remain overcrowded. Now, the risk for diseases and epidemics is high. People must be careful about the food they eat and about snakebites when they go home.

Large areas are under water. Floods force residents to flee, leaving all their possessions behind. Army and navy are mobilised; camps are set up. The Church is involved, providing shelter and assistance to the refugees. Many of the victims are angry with the government for doing little to prevent flooding.

A year after the end of the 30 year war, an estimated 73 thousand families are still living in refugee camps, with no future prospects. Everyone should be given everyone a home to help them resume a normal life. A former rebel leader, now a member of the government, speaks.