Though life improved during the ceasefire period, a year ago the government shut a highway that connects this region with the rest of the country, citing security reasons. As a result, people's life has hardened as the price of food, which now has to be brought in by ship, has exploded.
In Jaffna, the WCC team met representatives of the People's Council for Peace and Goodwill. In the organisation's view the priority given to the security of the armed forces leads to people's needs being overlooked. As a consequence, civilians undergo immense hardship and humiliation.
With government forces securing strategic sections of the coastline to preempt LTTE strikes, thus restricting the fishermen's access to these zones, the prime occupation of the Jaffna peninsula has been severely hit. Many people have been displaced and are facing starvation. In addition, abductions and killing of civilians by unidentified gunmen are creating panic among the population.
Churches are present in the peninsula accompanying the war victims, the internally displaced people and the communities affected by the 2004 tsunami. The JCU together with the NCC organise peace workshops. Church schools have started to feed children. At the Eriuganiman refugee camp the JCU is providing tuition classes for children and training for unemployed women. The Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India runs two hospitals, a vocational training centre for children as well as a widow's rehabilitation centre.
Challenges ahead
One of the challenges identified by the ecumenical team is that churches themselves are divided along ethnic lines. As Christianity is the only religion which encompasses both Tamil and Sinhalese members, churches are too often unable to speak with one voice, for instance about concrete ways to solve the conflict. While some of them advocate for a federalist system or a shared power scheme, others do not. At the same time, the presence of both ethnic groups amongst their faithful represents an opportunity for churches to play a reconciling role and they do cooperate in many actions on the ground.
In the context of a strong Sinhala Buddhist hegemony, improving the relationships between people of different religions is another challenge. The Catholic Archbishop of Colombo Oswald Gomis as well as other church leaders emphasised the need to engage in dialogue with moderate Buddhists partners. Anti-conversion legislation submitted to the parliament in 2004 is still under consideration and constitutes a pending threat to non-Buddhist groups.
Human rights are violated by both governmental and separatist forces. Tamil armed groups forcibly recruit children as soldiers, which is a serious concern for the churches as it perpetuates a culture of violence. Women increasingly become victims of rape and harassment, especially in government controlled areas. Amid the growing militarisation of the society that results of both parties seeing war as the only possible solution to the conflict, all the churches strongly advocate for a peaceful resolution.
"It was extremely painful and sad to see and feel how violence has devastated your very beautiful country," said Eunice Kamaara, speaking on behalf of the "living letters" team at an NCC gathering in Colombo towards the end of the visit. "But we were struck," she added, "by the enormous work being done by the churches. Although a small minority in a hostile situation, churches are helping people to cope with an otherwise hopeless situation, being in that way a beacon of hope."
The "living letters" are now back in their countries and churches. They have brought home with them the Sri Lankan churches' plea to help bringing the country's situation to the forefront of the international debate. And to call on churches all over the world to pray for a country that was once known as the pearl of the Indian Ocean.
