08/24/2006

In early August fighting between the Sri Lankan government armed forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, an armed movement fighting for an independent Tamil homeland in the north and east, displaced about 50,000 people from Mutur and surrounding villages in eastern Sri Lanka, just south of Trincomalee. This is a tense and contested area, with Tamils, Muslims, and Sinhalese all present. Mutur is a predominantly Muslim area and most of the displaced, who fled to the towns of Kantale and Kiniya, are Muslim.

On a recent Refugees International visit to the displacement camps, most of which are in school compounds, RI spoke with two young men who narrowly escaped death during their flight from Mutur.

While Mutur town is controlled by the Sri Lankan government, the parts of the surrounding area are in the hands of the LTTE. When the fighting started on the second of August, thousands of people began to move west into the LTTE areas to escape the conflict. The group that the young men were traveling with quickly met up with LTTE fighters who assured them that they would be safe. "Our weapon is our mother," they said, "and we swear on our weapons that nothing will happen to you."

When they reached the village of Kiranthimunai, however, armed men approached them and began separating the women and young children from the men, especially focusing on young men. The two young men, along with the others, had their hands tied behind their backs and were separated from their families. It was obvious that they were about to be executed. "What is your final wish?" the LTTE fighters asked them. "To pray," they replied.

At this moment, the government troops began shelling the area. Everyone fled. Under the cover of the government shelling, the group of young men was able to escape and make their way to Kantale unharmed. After three or four days they were re-united with their families, who were all safe.

The incident in Kiranthimunai lasted for three hours. Now, the young men said, "We feel like we have experienced a re-birth."

According to the young men, some 60-70 people died in the movement from Mutur, either from shelling or from executions by the LTTE. But only two bodies have been recovered so far. This is deeply wounding to the Muslim community, as their religious tradition requires burying the bodies as soon as possible after death.

The LTTE targeting of young men, according to the two interviewed by RI, was in retaliation for their opposition to the LTTE and specifically their refusal to pay taxes to the movement. Tension in the Mutur area had been building for some time, and they expectd the conflict to erupt.

The young men expressed great reluctance to return to Mutur. They do not trust the government forces. Further, the only road out of the combat zone passes through LTTE territory and they have no desire to risk another incident.

This is not the only hardship that the people of Mutur have endured. Parts of the area lie along the coast and suffered badly during the tsunami. The homes of both young men were destroyed in the tsunami and, with outside support, they had recently moved into new homes. Both of their new homes were destroyed by shelling in the battle for Mutur.

The government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE have both expressed their continued commitment to the ceasefire agreement negotiated in 2002. Clearly in Mutur and other areas around Trincomalee the cease fire is a fiction. Sustained, high level international pressure is required on both parties to get them to pull back from the brink of full-scale conflict. Without a return to real ceasfire, the displaced of Mutur, including these young men, will likely remain in camps for many months.