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Building bridges of amity

The resupply of much-needed goods and services to the Vanni district after several years - barring a few sensitive items - imparts to the current peace effort a much needed emphasis: the well-being of the people.

It is the ordinary people of the North who suffered most over the past two decades and no attempt at bringing peace and reconciliation to this country is likely to succeed unless and until the vital needs of this segment of the population are satisfied. We rejoice with the people of the North over these attempts at restoring to them some of their lost dignity.

At the time of writing this commentary, the first food convoys despatched by the UNF Government, have already reached the Vanni, under the supervision of Minister Milinda Moragoda. People in their hundreds had converged on Vavuniya to receive much-needed consumer goods and requirements which were denied them amid conditions of war.

With the enjoyment of these relief measures, the sense that they are one with the rest of the country, is likely to be enhanced among the Northern populace. Thus has the notion been undermined among sections of the North-East people that they are "second class citizens".

Accompanying these ground-breaking developments is the news that new measures will be launched to facilitate civilian traffic between North and South. Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Refugees Minister Jayalath Jayawardane is already in the North, overseeing operations aimed at bringing a degree of normalcy to the war-ravaged region.

A demining operation which has already got under way in Chavakachcheri, under his supervision, testifies to the priority the Government is currently attaching to the task of easing the lot of the Northern people. The facilitation of travel between North and South, even through the use of private travel organisations, would greatly enhance people-to-people contact between North and South - a project which is of the utmost importance in realising peace.

Hopefully, the A9 highway linking North and South would now be opened in consultation with the LTTE, to build stronger bridges of fraternity between the different communities of this land.

It could be thus seen that the normalization plan launched by the Government is getting into top gear. The wide range of people friendly moves which have been initiated, besides proving important confidence - building measures, are likely to integrate the Northern people into the rest of Lankan society.

Needless to say, these are initial projects aimed at strengthening the peace process. More should be done to make the people of the land savour the prized fruits of peace.

Prime among these would be programs aimed at enhancing the self-work of the North-East populace. There is clearly no alternative to persisting in peace.

• Editorial of  The Observer - Fruits of peace 16.01.2002:
  

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