US embassy cable - 05COLOMBO811

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 COLOMBO 000811 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID 
USAID/W FOR A/AID ANDREW NATSIOS, JBRAUSE 
DCHA/OFDA KISAACS, GGOTTLIEB, MMARX, RTHAYER, 
BDEEMER 
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA 
DCHA/FFP FOR LAUREN LANDIS 
DCHA DEPUTY ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR WILLIAM 
GARVELINK 
ANE DEPUTY ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR MARK WARD 
BANGKOK FOR OFDA SENIOR REGIONAL ADVISOR TOM DOLAN 
KATHMANDU FOR OFDA REGIONAL ADVISOR WILLIAM BERGER 
GENEVA FOR USAID KYLOH 
ROME PASS FODAG 
NSC FOR MELINE 
CDR USPACOM FOR J3/J4/POLAD 
USEU PASS USEC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, AEMR, PREL, PGOV, CE, LTTE - Peace Process, Tsunami 
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA - EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMIS: 
USAID/DART SITREP #21 - VISIT TO JAFFNA 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
1.The USAID/Disaster Assistance Response Team 
(DART) field officer (FO) and USAID/Colombo 
Project Development Specialist (PDS) traveled to 
Jaffna from April 20 to 22 to monitor USAID/Office 
of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA)-funded 
programs and review the progress of tsunami 
recovery efforts.  Four months after the tsunami 
hit and the initial emergency response, recovery 
efforts are moving forward.  International and 
national relief agencies were virtually unanimous 
in their positive assessment of aid coordination 
in Jaffna.  The Government Agent (GA) for Jaffna 
received high marks from all UN agencies and NGOs 
interviewed for his robust engagement in the 
recovery and reconstruction process.  Challenges 
in the shelter and livelihoods sector have held 
back greater progress in the recovery process. 
Specifically, uncertainty over the central 
government's ultimate intentions in relation to 
the buffer zone have left many key individuals 
(including local officials and aid agency 
personnel) in a position where they are hesitant 
to move forward rapidly.  In addition, limited 
availability of land and the rising cost of 
property near the coastline have restricted the 
possibilities of re-building fishing communities 
near the sea.  Aid agencies are finding that 
restoring livelihoods is more complicated than 
originally imagined.  Efforts by individuals, 
villages, local fishermen's associations and 
possibly the LTTE to manipulate donations of aid 
to the fishing sector have given aid agencies 
pause in their efforts to work in this area.  Some 
NGOs plan to conduct in-depth studies on 
livelihoods in order to understand the political, 
economic and social complexities of livelihood 
restoration in post-tsunami Jaffna.  Aid agencies 
are also keenly aware of possible friction caused 
by disparities in assistance going to tsunami- 
affected displaced persons and the large number of 
conflict-affected persons resident in Jaffna.  End 
summary. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Coordination and Cooperation in Jaffna 
-------------------------------------- 
 
2.All aid agencies interviewed during the 
course of the visit to Jaffna agreed that 
coordination between UN agencies, NGOS, local 
government and the LTTE was very good.  Special 
praise was given to the government agent (GA) for 
Jaffna district for being engaged and supportive 
of relief efforts. It was also noted that 
collaboration between the GA, the force commander 
of the Sri Lankan military and the LTTE on relief 
and recovery interventions in Jaffna has been 
relatively positive and productive.  One senior 
relief official explained this cooperation as the 
joint mechanism already in progress. 
 
3.While other tsunami-affected districts such 
as Ampara and Galle suffer from coordination 
problems brought on by a huge influx of NGOs and 
d 
individuals involved in recovery operations, 
Jaffna has been largely spared from the chaos and 
competition between too many aid agencies trying 
to work in the same area.  In a sense, Jaffna was 
better placed to cope with the immediate emergency 
needs triggered by the tsunami and subsequent 
recovery efforts due to the presence of a number 
of aid agencies already working with conflict- 
affected populations.  The UN agencies, NGOs and 
international organizations already in place in 
Jaffna responded immediately to the tsunami 
thereby leaving relatively few gaps that required 
coverage by others. Already knowing each other and 
their respective agencies' capacities, the relief 
groups were able to forge ahead quickly based on 
the strength of existing staff and materials in 
Jaffna.  The small number of NGOs that set up 
operations in Jaffna after the tsunami was folded 
into the already existing coordination structures. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
-------- 
Shelter for the Tsunami Displaced: Progress and 
Challenges 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
-------- 
 
4.Aid agencies and local government officials 
noted that virtually all tsunami-displaced persons 
in Jaffna district have found adequate 
accommodation with family and friends or have 
received transitional shelters while they wait for 
permanent housing solutions.  USAID staff visited 
a transitional housing site at Manatkadu built 
with support from the United Nations High 
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR, UNICEF and 
Action Contre Le Faim (ACF).  The site houses 232 
families who were forced to abandon their coastal 
homes roughly 3 kilometers from their transitional 
camp due to damage caused by the tsunami.  All 
basic facilities are in place including shelters, 
latrines, water points, and garbage collection 
bins.  In addition, UNICEF has funded recreational 
programs for the children of the transitional 
center 
 
5.The government in Jaffna has already 
y 
allocated land for the building of permanent homes 
for the 232 families of Manatkadu.  Fortunately, 
the government owned land directly behind the 
existing village and donated this land for the new 
houses that will be built beyond the 200 meter 
buffer zone.  Housing plots had been staked out at 
the new site although the building process has yet 
to begin.  The Grama Sewaka (GS) for Manatkadu 
admitted that he was confused over the 
government's intentions for rebuilding on these 
new plots and the policy linked to the buffer 
zone.  This uncertainty over central government 
policy and plans had led to delays in finding 
permanent housing solutions. 
 
6.Finding land close to the sea will be more 
problematic in Point Pedro, the division hardest 
hit by the tsunami in Jaffna district.  Point 
Pedro is densely populated and land is at a 
premium.  The task of identifying available land 
for the 3,875 households displaced by the tsunami 
at Point Pedro will take some time given the 
government's intent to establish a 200-meter 
buffer zone.  Several sources in Jaffna indicated 
that prices for land outside the buffer zone, yet 
near the sea have sky-rocketed due to the huge 
demand and limited land available. Comment:  As in 
many other parts of the country hit by the 
tsunami, the government edict against rebuilding 
 
SIPDIS 
homes in the buffer zone along with the scarcity 
of land near the sea for communities tied to the 
sea for economic activities will cause lengthy 
delays in the construction of permanent homes for 
those people whose former homes fall within the 
buffer zone.  End comment. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
Livelihoods Restoration:  Not Always So Simple 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
7.While visiting the transitional shelter site 
at Manatkadu, USAID staff observed a number of new 
fishing boats adjacent to the road, approximately 
3 kilometers from the sea.  Men from Manatkadu 
informed USAID staff that they received 10 boats 
from the German Society for Technical Cooperation 
(GTZ) in February.  Two months later, the boats 
still lay idle.  USAID staff heard several 
explanations for the unused boats.  The 
inhabitants of Manatkadu themselves stated that 
they had decided that they would not use these 10 
boats as they represented 25 percent of the boats 
lost by the village.  They did not feel that it 
would be fair for the recipients of the 10 GTZ 
boats to start fishing until the other 30 
fisherman had received new boats as well.  One aid 
agency received information that the fisherman's 
association had ordered those individuals with 
boats to leave them on land until all requests for 
new boats in the village had been met. 
 
8.(SBU) A local source in Jaffna informed USAID 
staff that the boats lay idle under instructions 
from the LTTE.  According to this individual, the 
LTTE lost many of its boats during the tsunami and 
is now seeking to replace them.  It is believed 
that the LTTE commanded the fisherman's 
association and villagers to inflate the 
requirements for boats beyond what the village had 
lost to the tsunami in order to receive an 
allocation of boats for the LTTE.  The LTTE 
ordered the local fisherman's association to keep 
the boats out of the water until demands for 
additional boats had been met by donors.  Note: 
This information was provided by one source and 
could not be corroborated.  End Note. 
 
9.The main focus of relief agencies involved in 
livelihood restoration is on the fishing sector 
with many NGOs rushing to purchase boats for 
affected communities based on requests from 
individuals or fishing associations.  However, 
some NGOs are wary that individuals, villages and 
the fisherman's association have inflated the 
requirements for boats beyond the actual number 
destroyed by the tsunami for economic gain.  Many 
households along the coast make their living from 
fishing, but a relatively small percentage of the 
households actually owned boats.  Many individuals 
work in ancillary activities such as mending nets 
or drying fish.  Boat owners tend to earn a 
significantly higher income that those individuals 
involved in other tasks related to fishing.  It is 
believed that many individuals who had not 
previously owned boats prior to the tsunami will 
now claim to have lost boats in order to receive a 
free boat and thus increase their income 
opportunities.  Some NGOs are worried that the 
economic and social network of fishing communities 
could be negatively affected by the over-provision 
of boats.  In addition, the environment could 
suffer if the number of boats on the sea increases 
dramatically in certain areas.  These NGOs are not 
taking the requests at face value, but are 
conducting studies and engaging in dialogue with 
the community and its leaders to chart the best 
course for the design and implementation of 
livelihoods activities. 
 
10.While much of the focus in the livelihoods 
sector has been on the fishing industry, relief 
agencies in Jaffna noted that attention must be 
paid to farmers as well.  Large areas of farmland 
along the western coast (including islands) of 
Jaffna district were flooded with sea water.  The 
water eventually drained from the fields, leaving 
salt residue in the soil that will have a negative 
impact on the ability of farmers to produce during 
the coming planting seasons.  Some NGOs are 
starting to look at this problem and seek creative 
solutions to support them while their fields 
remain crippled by salt in the soil. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
Continuing Work with Conflict Displaced of Jaffna 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
11.One recurring theme among the many aid 
agencies interviewed during the trip to Jaffna was 
the need for equity when working with both 
tsunami-displaced and conflict-displaced 
 
SIPDIS 
communities. Staff and material resources had been 
initially diverted to deal with the emergency 
phase of the tsunami response.  Several months 
into the recovery phase, UN agencies, NGOs and 
international organizations strive to find a 
balance between serving their long-term, conflict- 
affected beneficiaries and helping the tsunami- 
affected population to recover.  One impediment to 
evenhanded assistance to both groups in Jaffna is 
the huge amount of financial resources allocated 
for the tsunami-affected households and 
communities.  If there is a great gap between the 
level of assistance provided to the tsunami 
displaced and the conflict displaced, there are 
concerns that frictions could develop.  Agencies 
are looking for community development or 
infrastructure projects that can potentially 
benefit both groups.  Another solution would be to 
gain permission for donors (governmental and 
private) to use a portion of the massive funds 
collected for tsunami relief to support programs 
to improve conditions for conflict affected 
households as well.  As an example, the Asian 
Development Bank (ADB) is discussing a proposed $1 
million grant with the GOSL that combines 
assistance to conflict-affected populations with 
new funds to reconstruct tsunami affected 
communities. 
 
ENTWISTLE