Trincomalee (AsiaNews) – The families of small scale fishermen in the district of Trincomalee (eastern Sri Lank) are tittering on the brink of an “economic and social disaster,” as a result of government indifference, including good chances they will suffer from malnutrition and hunger in the near future, this according to a group of women of every background (Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim) who last week took part in an awareness raising meeting organised by the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO).
In voicing their complaint the women said their villages had not yet recovered from the 2004 tsunami and that residents still could not earn a living and feed their families.
For decades civil war affected the area. For security reasons the government now restricts fishing to the 8 am-4 pm time period.
“Fishing during those hours of the day is useless,” said P.R.B. Rupa, a fisherwoman and leader of the women’s group. “Our husbands cannot earn enough to buy a piece of bread. If you want to have a good catch, fishing must be done at night.”
The government’s rules are especially hard to swallow after the government pushed Tamil rebels out of the eastern province which is now considered “pacified”.
“Many fisher families cannot afford their children’s education, medical care and are forced to have a meal a day,” she said.
According to the fisherwomen, on top of government regulations, the rising price of food is making matters even more difficult, and will lead to malnutrition in Trincomalee.
Four years have gone by since the tsunami struck in 2004. In the village of Samudragama alone 82 families affected by the natural disaster are still without a home.
They have called on President Rajapakse to allocate reconstruction funds for residential housing, rather than spend it mostly on roads and mega infrastructures.