By Nadeem Ansari
CANBERRA — In a public meeting here on March 16, Tamil surgeon Dr Thayalan Ambalavanar asked the Sri Lankan government to respect the right of self-determination of the Tamil people and to open peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Around 30 people heard Dr Ambalavanar, general surgeon in Jaffna hospital, describe conditions in the Jaffna peninsula.
The meeting was organised by the Friends of Peace in Sri Lanka.
Ambalavanar said that the situation in Jaffna has been vastly changed since Sri Lankan troops took control there in 1995. Around 45,000 troops are deployed — almost one for every 10 Tamil people.
Jaffna's population has been reduced to half a million from 800,000 by migration. The peninsula is cut off from Sri Lanka; there is only one regular ship service, run by the International Red Cross.
Young people have no opportunity to get jobs. Sixty per cent of the population depends on agriculture and on fishing, but Tamil people are allowed to fish only for a limited time and only in certain areas, and Sri Lankan troops have occupied good agriculture land for their own use.
The doctor said that the overall health situation could be judged from the infant motility rate. In 1985 in Jaffna there were 19 deaths out of 1000 children born, as compared to 35.5 deaths out of 1000 in Sri Lanka. That rate has risen to 29 deaths while the Sri Lankan rate has fallen to 16.5 per 1000 births.
Jaffna hospital is very understaffed. There are only 15 to 20 junior and senior doctors. There is no pathologist, and Ambalavanar has to wait six to eight weeks to get back reports from Colombo.
There is also a shortage of nursing staff. Two years ago 60 midwives were trained in Jaffna, but they were posted in Sinhalese areas.
Dr Ambalavanar said that Jaffna hospital is under the Ministry of Defence, and approval for the supply of medicine comes from Colombo. For the last three weeks there were no antibiotics in the hospital. The military stops the supply of medicine for fear that it will be smuggled to the LTTE.
Environmental conditions are also in decline. Sri Lankan troops have cut many trees for security reasons. Landmines claim from five to 15 victims per month.
Ambalavanar said that in a survey conducted in Colombo, 63% of Sinhalese people and 84% of youth felt that the military is not the solution. More than 100 Sinhalese attended a demonstration organised by the National Peace Council. The government is spending 27% of GDP on defence, which could be spent on public services otherwise.