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Sri
Lanka Journal:
Entry Number 8
Hambantota
We
drove to Hambantota town and region which was badly hit by the tsunami.
This area was very badly hit by the tsunami and much of the rubble of
the houses is still not cleared. This is also the home of Hassan
Mowlana. We met him there and proceeded to a camp which was entirely
Muslim.
Religious Observance
One of the problems presented in the tsunami comes from the difficulty
of Moslems living in camps with non-Muslims. It is not a prejudicial
thing as much as a religious one having to do with Muslim women living
in close proximity to non-believers and other such considerations. Like
a number of other places, this camp had some outside sponsorship. In
this case tents and drinking water were supplied by the government of
Pakistan.
I met the community leader here named Mohammad Rilwa. Mohammad was a
small energetic man who had kept a meticulous record of his neighbors.
He showed me the folders and the information which he had laboriously
written down. There were lists of addresses and names and then a
section which had the number of people living in that house with a
slash. If he wrote 5/3 that meant that five people lived there and
three people had perished in the tsunami. Mohammad showed me the inside
of his arms. There were large welts there which had been made tow
months earlier from holding unto the tree which saved his life. His
close relatives were not so lucky. He lost twenty-seven members of his
family.
Community
Fears
We walked over to the rubble piles closer to the shore. Here simple
blue tents had been erected but there was no one in them. Basically
this was an effort to re-establish community ownership of that area due
to concerns about the loss of property due to the 100 meter no building
zone which the government is attempting to establish. There is a great
concern and uncertainty about the future since there is no capital for
rebuilding and the status of the land is up in the air.
Like other places, this community was still in awe of the tsunami
itself. The men who walked around with me tried to indicate just what a
totally destructive experience this was. All I had to do was to look
around and see the piles of rubble of what must have been beautiful
little homes along a stunning beach. The economy came from fishing and
the open air fish market in Hambantota was famous and a tourist
destination. Some boats have been repaired but the fish population had
not yet returned. Of course there are concerns that the fish may never
come back. Another real concern is the flood plain from the salt water
tsunami. It extends back across the road for a long way. One rice patty
was contaminated by the tsunami and growing there agin would require
removing at least a five inch layer of topsoil.
When we went over to the tents where people were actually living, one
woman came over and started yelling rapidly at our group. She was
complaining that many people had visited there but the rubble was still
not cleared, living in the tents was intolerable and a list of
complaints all of which were not translated for me. I had that feeling
again that I was like so many others coming with their sympathy and
making notes and then leaving. I weakly suggested that may seeing this
camp would allow me to return to the U.S. to try to find more specific
aid. She was not interested in hearing that since she had heard it so
many times before.
Emotional Support
The loss of close relatives here was so immense, I did not know quite
how to offer support. For one thing, the group of men showing me around
spoke almost matter-of-factly about losing so many. For another, the
destruction here overwhelmed the finer points of bereavement support.
However, I did speak with these men and asked the specifics of how many
lost and who they were. The answers were given simply but, like in
other places, I was thanked for asking. Asking about loss has not been
a regular part of what has been offered here.
There was a soldier from Pakistan who was looking after the fresh water
supply under the big sign with the flags of Pakistan and Sri Lanka on
it which read "A FRIEND IN NEED - PAKISTAN". As much as we might wish
to interpret the political ramifications of giving aid and then
advertising that giving in colorful signs, the sign and the soldier and
the water were really symbols of just that, "a friend in need." A bunch
of children gathered around and the adults pushed them together for me
to take a picture of them.
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