Cricket as Teacher: Meeting Crushing Defeat Foursquare Honest

Michael Roberts

Cricket is many things. Above all, it is a great teacher. It replicates the experiences of life, with joy and suffering in good mix though not always in equal mix. In this teaching school the most profound experiences arise in moments of ignominious defeat. One such moment eventuated over three days at the famous MCG during the equally renowned Boxing Day Test Match when Australia rolled over the Sri Lankan XI by an innings and 201 runs. Mustering only 156 and 102 runs in each innings Sri Lanka was simply crushed.

The toll of injuries which reduced the Sri Lankan XI to eight batsmen in the second innings was only one factor in the eventual outcome. The process began when the leading batsmen batted in needless and careless fashion in the first innings after winning the toss. It was compounded by a series of missed catches – mostly difficult ones to be sure, but nevertheless adding up to sway the outcome decisively in Australia’s favour despite some sharp catches by Mahela and Rangana during the Aussie innings.

Longitudinal UNICEF Survey of Nutrition in the IDP Camps in 2009

Michael Roberts

In the course of presenting a seminar on the topic “Humanitarian Work obscured by the Fires of Propaganda War: The IDP Camps, 2009-12” at the premises of ICES on 7^th November 2012, I was met by a hostile challenge from Mirak Raheem of the Centre for Policy Alternatives  who raised three points of criticism – one based on empirical material that I had presented about a few IDPs who were bussed in from Nandikadal and the Vanni Pocket – a four-five hour journey I believe – being dead on arrival. Information from the UTHR report , from such individuals as Narendran Rajasingham (who met escaped IDPs in March-April) and the doctors at Manik Farm (e.g. Safras, Woodyard) reveal that there were a few IDPs who could best be described as “walking dead” (and some kin reported the trauma of leaving grandparents behind because they were not fit to move).

     Despite the evocative photographs presented re the abnormal conditions encountered for several months by the Tamil populace corralled together in a revolutionary act of blackmail by the LTTE, Raheem had clearly NOT comprehended the abnormal circumstances of that moment in April-May 2009 and the looming possibility of a humanitarian disaster among the large clusters of IDPs assembled (some 250,000 all told) in the Vavuniya locality in numerous temporary schools-used-as-camps as well as the Mänik Farm Zones. This outstanding failure was – and remains — a measure of the ideological blindness located in advocacy circles in Colombo. It marks an obduracy that is founded upon (1) enclosure within air-conditioned cocoons in Colombo; and (2) a visceral hostility to the Rajapaksa regime that cannot allow for any good emanating from a range of official (and unofficial)  agencies. One can even envision the advocacy circles in Colombo as a cluster that has created its very own siege bunker in the morally righteous cloister way up in the clouds.

Kumar and Mahela …. Cricket and Reconciliation… Northern Empowerment … via Alison’s Tea Break

Alison’s Tea Break … SEE  http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/video_audio/585472.html

  Kumar Sangakkara talks about his relationship with Mahela Jayawardene, using cricket to give back to the community, and administration ambitions (26:21)

Summary Points extracted from this interview by the Web Editor:

* ICC invested 100,000 dollars towards the Murali Harmony Cup

* MCC continued its support for the Foundation of Goodness.

An Overview: Setunga V, 22 July 2009

Myrna Setunga, 22 July 2009 …. providing a summary description of conditions in early June when Zone 4 was being set up and moving on to circumstances in July. Web Editor.

Dear family and friends,  This is the second part of the report on my visits to Vavuniya. I had intentions of printing this report and posting it to selected people because I do not want this report to be circulated. Please think twice before you pass this on, because I could get into trouble. Some of this information could be seen as sensitive. My printer is refusing to obey my commands – so here it is in the form of an email. Your comments are welcome.

As I said in the emailed report we went to Menik Farm on the 1^st of June. We were in the temporary camp [in Zone 4] which consisted of tents and could see the semi- permanent zinc structures in the distance. These are similar to the ones constructed after the Tsunami. There is a barbed wire fence separating the two parts but I saw a woman quietly creeping through the fence to get to the tent section. Any relative from the outside who wants to visit an IDP in the camp has to wait at the gate till the person is summoned over the loud speaker. The visitors and their parcels are thoroughly searched. I saw this happen at all the camps I visited. The visitor is not allowed into the camp and can speak to the IDP in a special shed which is in full view of the Military Police who guard all the camps. The reason given for this is that there are still LTTE members among the IDPs. They have found the wife and children of Tamilshelvam among the IDPs. Prabakaran’s parents too are in the Menik farm Camp. One has to therefore understand why these people are like prisoners behind barbed wire.

Fourth Trip to Vavuniya, 8-12 July: Setunga IV

Myrna Setunga, 13 July 2009

 Pics taken in July 2009, with Dr Janaki from the DPRD Centre in Colombo in the left foregound — courtesy of the Ministry of Health

 – courtesy of the the Ministry of Health

I distributed the second lot of 150 Mother and Baby packs in Vavuniya IDP Camps on the 3^rd and 4^th of June. After returning from that trip I decided that it was more economical to take the packs in batches of 300. This turned out to be an even bigger task than I had anticipated. Fortunately I had identified six suppliers for all the items needed. One supplier even did home delivery. Since four of the suppliers were in the Pettah I did the orders over the phone. Thanks to Kingsley and Sura Ranasinghe who gave me their van I was able to collect all the items in one trip. My house was once again like a warehouse. Putting the items together took a much longer time and caused much greater back pain than anticipated. But Fatima, my domestic helper, and I managed to get the lot done by the 3^rd of July.

Then I received a call from Dr. Rani Fernando [Director of the Castle Street Womens’ Hospital] asking me if I could add a Baby bath tub to the pack. The VOG’s had told her that the babies in the tents were in a very vulnerable environment because of the crowded conditions in the tents, They recommended the bath tub because a baby can sleep in the tub till it is at least 3 months old. Having seen the conditions in the tents I had to agree. But I did not have sufficient funds having even exceeded the amount received as donations. Fortunately Susan Joachim who happened to visit me to see the packs came to my rescue. She contacted friends all round the world and one generous donor got me the tubs through his brother who was able to get the tubs directly from the manufacturer. I was to leave on the 8^th at 4 a.m. and was able to collect the tubs only on the 7^th evening. We did not finish loading the truck provided free of charge, by Kumari and Mr. Wanniarachchcie, till 11 p.m. This gave me just 3 hours of rest – sleep was not possible.

I joined a group of doctors and nurses from the Castle Street Hospital and we traveled in a mini bus organized by Dr. Rani Fernando. We got to Medawachchciya by 9.30. I stayed back to wait for the truck which arrived at 10 am. It took us one and a half hours to clear security mostly because of the long queue of huge vehicle waiting to be cleared. I managed to sweet talk the two policemen into inspecting the truck without having to take the boxes out of the truck. They did even better by just peeping at the boxes through the truck door and signing the exit pass. By the time we got to Vavuniya town and off loaded the boxes at the CHA office it was 3 p.m. I sent the truck back to Colombo and enjoyed a well earned rest at the CHA guest house.

9^th July .

The following day I hired a small truck and with assistance from a CHA volunteer distributed packs in the following camps.

Nelukkulam 39 packs.       Puthukulam 29 packs.

Thandikulam 15 packs.      Saivapragasam 45 packs.

That evening I met Dr. Safras at the guest house and arranged to distribute the rest of the packs in Weerapuram and Sumathipuram camps  [which were part of the Menik farm complex]. ] These camps had been set up very recently to accommodate the families that had been moved out of the schools. The Doctor in charge is Dr. Semali.

Weerapuram 68 packs and Sumathipuram 80 packs.

I had a balance of 18 packs which I had to leave behind in the CHA office to be added to the next batch.

10^th July.

I went with Dr Safras to Zone 4 hospital. Many changes have been made since my last visit. Two rooms with attached toilets are being constructed for the doctor and nurses on night duty. At present there is no toilet for the medical staff in this hospital. An extension is being made for a waiting area for patients who at present have to line up outside in the sun. The millions of flies I saw last time have disappeared.

Dr Hemantha Herath  with some camp children

I went to the camp to look for the Assistant Director of Education that I had met the last time. But after much inquiry I found out that he had been allowed to leave the camp because he was over 60 years of age. I inspected the kitchen where lunch was ready. Red rice had been cooked and was to be served with a dry fish and tomato curry. Dinner was being prepared. Two men were cutting up the godamba roti to make kottu roti with tinned fish, cabbage and onions. The whole preparation was being done under huge mosquito nets. There were still a few flies that had been attracted by the dry fish.

I spoke to two health volunteers – sisters. They were planning street drama on health topics. I met two more sisters at the toilets. One was on crutches because she had a gun shot injury in one leg. Even with assistance from her sister I could not imagine how she was gong to use the squatting pan in a toilet that was on an elevated platform. They smiled while telling me how they had escaped from the no-fire-zone. Their father is in Anuradhapura and he can visit them. Their mother is in Jaffna. I have no idea why they cannot be reunited. People smile when I joke about their “free” tour of the N.E.Province.The water seal toilets were in an awful condition because there is insufficient water to flush them.

A new feature in this camp is the many “street” vendors. One had a fairly large shop [where he even had “fair and lovely” face cream] and others had small road side stalls. The small vendors told me that they made a profit of about Rs 300 a day. Another man had set up a cool drink stall where he was selling an iced concoction. He told me that the water was from the bore well and the block of ice is delivered daily by a truck. I informed Dr. Safras about this and he took action to have this health hazard removed. They already have a serious problem with diarrhea.

On my way back from the camp I saw three Public Health Inspectors conducting a meeting in a tent. On further investigation I found that a team of nurses from outside were conducting an awareness session with the midwives and “health volunteers”. The midwives had been given material for uniforms and shoes. The Sister conducting the class told me that the 29 health volunteers were not given any thing. She appealed for the following.

1. Slippers – Bata bathroom slippers because most of them had no footwear what so ever.
2. An umbrella.
3. A bag in which they could carry files.
4. A skirt and T-shirt. Most of them did not have a change of clothing.

There are hundreds more such volunteers, but with my policy of one drop in the bucket at a time I will try to help these girls. Did I say “bucket”?? It is more like a bottomless pit.

After lunch at the Coordinating Centre we went back to the hospital and I was able to observe two doctors in action. I observed the doctor treating the children. Almost all complained of fever and/or diarrhea. Since there is a long wait for a mobile lab the doctors were treating for suspected illnesses. Mothers were repeatedly told not to overdose with panadol. Some one had come to the camp and distributed free packs of panadol and other over the counter medicines. Some children had been given medication for fever for three days but their mothers brought them every day to be checked by the doctor. Anxiety was etched on their faces. There was not an ounce of fat on any of the people I saw there. They were all suffering from long exposure to poor diet and stressful living conditions. Many had spent weeks cowering in trenches. Some children were dressed in nylon clothes. They were either dressed in their best to see the doctor or this was all they had. In one hour the doctor saw over 100 patients. She told me that she goes “home” and cries every night. The conditions under which these doctors work and the stress they face has to be seen to be believed. There is no toilet for the medical staff and they have to wait till they go to the coordinating centre for lunch. One doctor told me that she does not drink any water while on duty to avoid the need to go to the toilet.

Most of the adult patients were elderly. All showed signs of physical weakness in addition to suffering from diarrhea or fever. By 5 p.m. there were still people in the queue. The serious patients were treated and the rest were told to come back the next day. Thus ended my last day in the Vanni.

The following day, having failed to find someone who could give me a lift back to Colombo, I took a taxi to Medavachchiya and from there took a bus to Colombo via Putlam. Sine I have not been to Putlam before this was an opportunity to check out the road. We had to get out of the bus 3 times with luggage for security checking. I got to Colombo after the six and a half hour journey completely exhausted.

Dr.Fairoos who is in Zone 0 gave me a request from A/L students for study material. The total cost is around Rs 120,000. If there is anyone out there who would like to help these students please let me know. My Tsunami experience is that what ever I have asked for I have received. I am hoping for a repeat performance. Thank you friends for helping me to do what ever I can to serve these deserving people. This is my field and I feel like a duck in its favourite mud pond. I am sorry this is a long report, and yet it is only a summery of human suffering.

Vavuniya Adventure: Setunga I, 15 May 2009

Myrna Setunga, 15 May 2009
Dear friends,  I think an adventure is when you step into the unknown. A journey into the unknown is what happened on the 13th May when with my cousin Leelani and our driver, Rohan, and I set off at 3 a.m.for Vavuniya. I obtained the Min. of Defense (M.O.D) permit from the M. of Health on the 12th afternoon and we loaded the truck that same evening. [I had to hire the truck and Mr Tissa Jinasena of Loadstar paid for these costs]. We got to Anuradhapura (I hope you have your maps on hand) by 8 a.m. after a brief stop on the road side for sandwiches and coffee. In Anuradhapura we had a tea and toilet stop. It is a good thing Leelani and I have well disciplined bladders and bowels because our next visit to the toilet was at 8.30 p.m.

 A Medical Centre being set up in Menik Farm, late April-early May 2009–Pic by Donnie Woodyard of MTI  [but note that Myrna is describing the Vavuniya hospital here]

Relief Work in Aid of Mothers and Babies among the IDPs in 2009: Myrna Setunga’s Reports to Her Donor Pals THEN in 2009

Michael Roberts, 28 September 2012

Myrna Setunga attended Southlands College in the Galle Fort at one point in her upbringing and was known to me then. Our friendship continued during her subsequent undergraduate studies at Peradeniya University when I was also in the same boat so to speak. We lost touch though I was aware that she had moved to Australia.

From Australia she moved into work in the NGO world and served in the Philippines, Indonesia and West Africa before moving back as a Director for Plan International in Uva District. She retired and moved to the Colombo locality to look after her ailing father. Her pater had passed away by the time the tsunami struck on 26th December 2004.

This image of packs being assembled at Setunga’s home has been extracted by the Web Editor from a Power-Point presentation delivered by Setunga in Brisbane

Myrna Setunga then moved into relief work in her characteristic manner, a veritable dynamo. She mustered support in kind and money from friends in Lanka and donations from friends abroad. She discovered a particular realm where special needs had to be fulfilled, namely, refugee and IDP mothers with babies. She devised a mother and baby pack for delivery to such unfortunates and purchased the baby basinets, nappies, baby clothes, sanitary pads, panties, et cetera in bulk from retailers in the city with aid from local friends.

Mine clearance in Sri Lanka could take 10 years or more

IRIN News

Landmine clearance in Sri Lanka’s conflict-affected north could take more than a decade, experts say. “It is expected to take [in] excess of 10 years to fully mitigate all remaining contamination in Sri Lanka,” the Mine Action Project of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) [ http://www.undp.lk/What_We_Do/Pages/Mine_Action.aspx ] in Sri Lanka told IRIN, citing a lack of resources coupled with the difficult nature of the work.

Approximately 126 sqkm of land remains to be cleared in the island’s north at the end of 2011, according to data from the National Mine Action Centre (NMAC). Set up in July 2010, NMAC is the government’s lead agency in de-mining work in the country. As of 31 December 2011, the largest remaining area was in Mannar District (33.8 sqkm), followed by Mullaitivu (27.7 sqkm), Kilinochchi (23 sqkm), Vavuniya (15 sqkm) and Jaffna (5 sqkm) in the north. Smaller areas are in borderline districts of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura, along with some parts of the east.

Barrier to return: More than 6,700 conflict-displaced, mainly from Mullaitivu District, continue to live at Menik Farm [http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=89572 ] outside the town of Vavuniya, where more than 200,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) once lived following the end of the war [ http://www.irinnews.org/printreport.aspx?reportid=89904 ] between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which had been fighting for an independent Tamil homeland since 1983 [http://www.irinnews.org/printreport.aspx?reportid=84146].

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) [http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/srilanka_hpsl/Files/Situation%20Reports/Joint%20Humanitarian%20Update/LKRN057_JHERU_Nov-Dec_2011.pdf ], since 1 January 2009, more than 554 sqkm have been cleared of mines and UXO (unexploded ordnance) in the north and east of the country.

The humanitarian demining unit of the Sri Lanka Army, international organizations – Danish Demining Group (DDG), HALO Trust, Horizon, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Sarvatra, and Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD)] – and two national organizations – Delvon Assistance for Social Harmony (DASH) and the Milinda Moragoda Institute for Peoples’ Empowerment (MMIPE)] – are engaged in demining work.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) carries out mine risk awareness programmes in the north and east. The UNDP Mine Action Unit said most of the surveys to identify the mine risk areas had been completed, but the task of clearing the mines and UXO remains time-consuming and labour-intensive.

“It turns out there aren’t any fancy scanners or high-tech mine-removal gadgets that can compete with old-fashioned sweat, discipline, and patience when it comes to picking mines out of the ground,” US diplomat Emily Fleckner said during a December site visit to Kilinochchi, where some of fiercest fighting once took place. [ http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/entry/halo_trust_demining_site ].

Fleckner wrote in a blog post for the State Department that officials with HALO Trust told her the organization had removed more mines in Sri Lanka during its first year of operation than all its other de-mining work combined worldwide over the same period of time.

Funding questions: But it is the overall issue of funding that has people worried most almost two years since the war was officially declared over. UNDP’s Mine Action Project says the slow work of removing mines was “compounded by decreasing donor funding” for themselves and other mine clearance agencies.

On 22 January[http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/F_R_570.pdf], DDG said in an update that it had been forced to reduce its capacity by 20 percent since late 2010 due to funding constraints. DDG doubled its clearing capacity soon after the war ended in May 2009. “[But], in late 2010/early 2011 this was followed by an unheralded decrease in funding, especially amongst our major donors who reviewed their strategies globally and in particular towards Sri Lanka.”

The group has since warned of further reductions if funding constraints persist. NMAC estimates it will cost more than US$100 million to demine the last 126 sqkm.

Meanwhile, for those who have returned to their places of origin, the need to remain vigilant continues. “We know they are still around,” Mathiyavaratham Manivannan, a 32-year-old farmer in Mullaitivu District said, noting that mine-awareness programmes had made it easier for him to identify mines and UXO. “We don’t find them that often now, but we do come across them, especially when we clear new land.”

According to UNICEF, mine-related incidents were on the decline due to intense awareness programmes [ http://irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=90899 ]. More than 23,000 returnees took part in such programmes in December 2011 alone, with mine risk education continuing in both the north and east of the country, OCHA reported. In 2011, only 17 mine-related incidents were reported, down from 27 a year earlier. The casualty rate also dropped from 47 to 24.

This report online: http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportID=94798

Hambantota after the Tsunami: Then and Now

Padraig Colman, in the Sunday Island, 17 December 2013

On 26 December 2011 it will be seven years since 36,000 to 50,000 people (the numbers of dead vary depending on the source) died inSri Lankain the 2004 tsunami. On Christmas Day 2004, we had heard news that our local government veterinarian, whom we knew well, was looking forward to going on a trip toGallewith a party of about 20 people. He and 16 others died. His wife and one child survived because they went back to the hotel for a newspaper. A strange phenomenon was noted in Yala National Park. Few of the animals seemed to have perished because they moved to higher ground before the wave hit. Was this because they sensed the tremors?

A local relief effort that got underway almost immediately is generally agreed to have been a success. Even in the poorest, most remote areas, people flocked to the roadside to hand over money, clothes, bottles of water and bags of rice and lentils.

There are complaints today about militarisation. Seven years ago, 20,000 soldiers were deployed to assist in relief operations and maintain law and order. An effective, spontaneous immediate response was organised locally, followed by the government and international agencies. Temporary shelter for the displaced was provided in schools, other public and religious buildings. Communities and groups cooperated across ethnic and religious differences.

Eye Witness: One month after the tsunami, my wife and I visited Hambantota. We visited again, to take some supplies for the three months dane. Back in 2005, just outside the town of Hambantota, plastic chairs were stranded on the banks above the stained salt in the lagoons of the Lanka Salt Company. Fishing suffered because of fear that fish were contaminated by corpses. Apparently, there was a greater danger of corpses contaminating the salt.

From Tsunami Medical Logistics to IDP Camp Medical Aid, 2004-09; Q and A with Dr Herath

From Tsunami Medical Logistics to IDP Camp Medical Aid, 2004-09

Speaking at Adelaide Universityon one occasion the Australian Ambassador, French, stressed that an experienced disaster relief team from Australia played a critical role in coordinating information and logistics for the massive task of relief and recovery in Sri Lanka after the tsunami of 26 December 2004. I do not have those details. But I can now reveal to those interested how a central coordinating unit of medical personnel played a critical role in organising the medical relief work in the coastal regions of the southwest, south and east that were hit by the tsunami and thereafter directed the tasks associated with re-building the institutions and other medical services that had been destroyed by the waters.

 Dr. Hemantha Herath was assigned to the Health Desk of the Disaster Preparedness and Response Division (DPRD) of the Ministry of Health on 28 December 2004, while the Tsunami Rehabilitation Unit was also set up at about the same time with Dr. Thushara Ranasinghe as Coordinator, Planning) and Dr. Eeshara Vithana as Coordinator, Operations. The DPRD and TRU together directed the tsunami relief and re-establishment tasks. Their duties were extended in 2007-09 to handling the logistical requirements of drugs and equipment for the medical aid that was being provided to the Tamil refugees in the Eastern Province by personnel by local and foreign NGOs.

Kattankudy district hospital completely destroyed

Setting up a Field Hospital, Zone 2, 21 April 2009  –Pic by Donnie Woodyard

For a number of reasons Herath delayed his sabbatical leave till late 2008 when he eventually proceeded to UK. The unit was still functioning however (now downsized and housed within the offices of the Ministry of Health). The central point is that an experienced team of co-ordinators was at hand when the issue of Tamil IDPs from the north developed in late 2008/early 2009 after a large mass of people were assembled in the Menik Farm camps near Chettikulam over a period of time and especially in April-May 2009. They undertook the duties of (a) marshalling and organizing the erection of temporary health centres within the camps; (b) selecting and assigning doctors, nurses and other staff to service the camps; (c) distributing the equipment and drugs required for the medical centres; and (d) bolstering the pre-existing medical services within Vavuniya District so that they could assist the IDP camps in the handling of more serious cases.