Tour Day 1 - June 1, 2005
Meeting with Fisher Folk at the Balapitiya Pradeshiya Sabha

A discussion with the fisher folk to gather their thoughts on the issues they have faced as a community in the aftermath of the tsunami was held in the Balapitiya Pradeshiya Sabha. Mahinda Samarasinghe explained what the Committee is set up to do. He stated that this was a bipartisan committee that had the responsibility to look into matters of national importance and there was no room for politics to be discussed.

Mahinda Wijeysekera asked the fisher folk to explain the issue they faced as a community and what their thoughts were on the buffer zone. He commented on the importance of balancing coast conservation with development and economic activity.

The fisher folk raised numerous issues in which the key one was their opposition to the buffer zone. They stated that they depended on the sea for their livelihood, as they had for generations before. They also said that since the implementation of the buffer zone was a controversial issue, they had no qualms in letting the people who don’t want to live within 100 metres of the sea to leave the coast and build houses elsewhere.

The second issue they raised was a plea to develop Balapitiya by building a port so that the boats are protected from natural elements. They also stated that the law should be uniform for everyone, whether it is the buffer zone or the distribution of aid and money.

R A D B Samaranayake, Director of the Coast Conservation Department (CCD), explained to the fisher folk the need for the buffer zone as well as its limitations. He stated that if there were to be no buffer zone in place, then the populace living on the coast should reduce in number.

Meeting with Representatives from the Tourism Sector at the Hikkaduwa Pradeshiya Sabha

R A D B Samaranayake of the CCD explained the need for the buffer zone as well as its limitations. He stated that the buffer zone is important for coastal belt conservation and to also minimize damage caused by natural disasters like storm surges and tsunamis to people living further inland.

Representatives from the tourism sector stated that since no concrete decisions has been made thus far, the sector is affected because they cannot move on. They also stated that decisions made by the central government are not being filtered down to the people who are affected by both the tsunami and the decisions the relevant authorities on the field take. The major complaint they had was the delay in paying compensation to those affected by the tsunami.

Samaranayake also noted that the Tourism Board should give guidance to small-scale tourism resorts regarding the buffer zone.

Prof Kapila Dahanayake, Head of the Department of Geology in the University of Peradeniya, spoke on the unpredictability of the tsunami and of the importance of creating awareness among the public. He stated that people should be educated on the signs of a tsunami, for example, the rising sea levels and the sea receding and by watching the news for relevant information.

Meeting with Provincial Council and Pradeshiya Sabha Members in Matara

The members of the Provincial Council and Pradeshiya Sabha from Matara, Hambantota and Galle met with the Select Committee and the touring delegation at the Kachcheri (Assistant Government Agent’s Office) in Matara.

Mahinda Samarasinghe thanked everyone present and began the meeting by explaining what the Committee was set up to do. He also notified the representatives that they have recognized the need for each district to have an ambulance, fire engine, volunteer service and other emergency equipment.

Mahinda Wijeysekera asked the representatives from all three districts what they thought of the buffer zone. He spoke of the need for sustainable development on the coastal belt to improve the lives of people who depend on the sea for their livelihoods.

The Matara District representative read out the latest statistics they had collected on the tsunami disaster in Matara:

Initial temporary shelters - 69
Remaining temporary shelters - 22
No. of people still living in temporary shelters – 3,400
No. of deaths in the Matara District - 1,321
No. of missing and presumed dead in the Matara District - 121
No. of families who have been affected by the tsunami - 22,375
No. of people who have been paid Rs15,000 in compensation - 1,228
No. of people who have been paid Rs5,000 in compensation - 22,500
No. of people who lived within 100-metre zone and were affected by the tsunami - 1,700

Assessing the situation in Matara, the Matara District representatives stated that they hoped to finish building transit shelters by June 15, 2005. The key issue facing the district was the lack of land to move all the people who lived within the 100-metre buffer zone.

Speaking on the number of schools affected, he stated that 12 schools were affected by the tsunami, 9 schools have been rebuilt and 3 were completely destroyed.

The Galle District representative read out the latest statistics they had collected on the tsunami disaster in Galle. Six regions of Galle were affected:

No. of deaths in the Galle District – 4,813
No. of bodies that couldn’t be identified - 1,730
No. of people missing and presumed dead - 309
No. of people who have been awarded certificates for houses – 2,500 (through NGO funding)

The Hambantota District representative read out the latest statistics they had collected on the tsunami disaster in Hambantota:

No. of deaths in the Hambantota District- 1,410
No. of people missing and presumed dead - 1,304
No. of people affected by the tsunami – 5,582
No. of people who lived within the 100-metre buffer zone and were affected by the tsunami - 1,507
No. of people who lived outside the 100-metre buffer zone and were affected by the tsunami - 2,535
No. of people who have received Rs15,000 compensation - 2,107

The main issues government agents from all three districts face is the circulation notice where the government disallows government agents and people who have a livelihood that generates revenue and are affected by the tsunami to receive compensation. Since there are no specific criteria to establish who exactly has an income after they were affected by the tsunami, the GA’s themselves are facing problems with the issuing of the notification.

The Government Agents themselves made a plea to the Select Committee to ask the government to dissolve the circulation notice excluding them from receiving compensation, stating that the law should be uniform for all affected people.

Speaking on the buffer zone issue, they stated that the majority of people who were affected and had lost loved ones wanted to move away from the coast. The minority of the people who want to stay were fishermen and others whose livelihoods depended on the sea.