16th Meeting of the Select Committee - 25 April 2005

The Select Committee summoned a wide range of NGOs to share their views on the tsunami and to participate in an open discussion about the role the NGO sector plays in the event of a natural disaster.

Representatives from Rainbow Bridge, Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies, National NGO Council of Sri Lanka, Sarvodaya, Sri Lanka Red Cross, Lions Kashyapa, St. Johns Ambulance and Brigade, Save the Children, Sahana Foundation, World Vision, Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), National Peace Council, YWCA, All Ceylon Buddhist Congress, Habitat for Humanity, and World View participated at the hearings.

An overview of the three study tours the members of the Select Committee took to Australia, Japan, South Korea, Turkey and Germany were presented at the hearings. Mahinda Samarasinghe headed the delegation to Australia while both the study tours to Japan and South Korea and to Turkey and Germany were led by Professor Tissa Vitharana and John Amaratunga respectively.

The Australian government sponsored the study tour to Australia where Dr Greg French, the Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka provided the necessary assistance.

Mahinda Samarasinghe spoke on the three-pronged approach present in Australia’s national disaster management policy and how Sri Lanka could use that to our benefit. Sri Lanka is lacking expertise in Disaster Victims Identification (DVI) and an advanced course in this subject in Canberra was one such proposal made by Australia. The training and mobilization of youth to volunteer in the event of a natural disaster and the federal system the Australian government bases its natural disaster policy on were the other criteria Sri Lanka could benefit from in the long term.

Kate Wanderwood, Manager of Rainbow Brigade - an Australian NGO, spoke on the work they are doing with respect to psychological trauma of children. They are providing a link between schools in both Australia and Sri Lanka to help build relationships among the children in order to learn about the different cultures.

S. Sivasupramanium, a representative of the TRO, spoke on the difficulty of delivering relief to tsunami-affected areas especially in the north and east. He stated that Sri Lanka needs a mechanism to regulate the flow of aid to the country. Through this, the government can ensure that aid sent by donor countries and INGOs is what the Sri Lankan people actually required.

Dr Vinya Ariyaratne, representing Sarvodaya, spoke on the need for a national policy on disaster management and the role the NGO sector should play in that framework. He also stressed that NGOs should voluntarily disclose the amount of funds they receive so that accountability and transparency is not undermined. He recommended that it is a facilitation mechanism that is required as opposed to a coordination mechanism alone.

Lal Hevapathirana of World View Sri Lanka stated that one of the main shortcomings in the aftermath of the tsunami was the lack of coordination between NGOs. He also spoke about the problems they faced regarding the clearance of goods from the Sri Lankan port.

Dr. Jayathilake, the Field Commissioner of the St Johns Ambulance, recommended the incorporation of first aid programmes into schools. He also stated that the services offered by organisations like St Johns were not given due recognition by the government.

Lydia Lechman, a representative from World Vision, stated that community-based volunteer programmes were needed in Sri Lanka.

Dr. Jehan Perera of the National Peace Council raised the issue of the buffer zone and stated that he was concerned about the different treatment meted out to different districts.

Professor Tissa Vitharana, Minister of Science & Technology, responded to the query by explaining the scientific evidence backing the need for a buffer zone. In 1981, the Coast Conservation Act set aside 300 metres as a buffer in order to protect the coast from exploitation. Besides the tsunami, global warming has a huge effect on island nations like Sri Lanka. With the threat of land inundation because of the sea level rising during high tide combined with catastrophic weather, every country needs a buffer zone. He went on to explain that the Indian Ocean has two earthquake belts running across Sumatra and the Maccaran, which have seismic activity. At the Kobe meeting, Professor Katayama, a leading analyst in seismic events, in a discussion with the minister, stated that the Asian people must understand that there is an increase in seismic activity in the region. The only way to mitigate the risk is by encouraging coast conservation programmes that involve the growth of mangroves and coral reefs.

Responding to the issue of different treatment to different districts with regard to the buffer zone, he said that the implementation of the buffer zone was not motivated by discrimination but that the government is responsible for protecting the lives of people as well as property.