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INTRODUCTION

1. had been under the colonial rule since 1505 / and the political leaders of Sinhala / Tamil and Muslim communities fought together to win independence in 1948 O However / with the introduction of constitutional changes in 1956 / Tamils who had remained benefitted through the previous colonial governing system / became disheartened O They were no longer ready to accept the changes / made to the constitution that marked a significant shift in both governance and administration O

2. With the advancement of time / a radical segment of the Tamil community / motivated by some extremist Tamil politicians with egoistic motives / embarked on a drive, demanding a disproportionately greater share in the governance / and administration in the Country O

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3. Those differences gradually led to development of tension between two major communities O However / their reasonable demands were considered / and granted by successive governments O Notwithstanding / all efforts taken by respective governments that came in to power / to integrate all communities under a unitary state / a section of misled Tamils continued to whip up separatist sentiments / which ultimately turned to be an armed struggle against the government of Sri Lanka / where they went on fighting to secure / over 1/3 of the country’s land mass for 14% population O

4. Other than a few isolated incidents that took place / by and large, remained peaceful until 1983 / during which / civilian life, prospered with a sound economy / based on agriculture, trade and fishery O Jaffna, being Island’s one epicenter of education / with several privileged government and private schools like in / continued to produce scholars and intellectuals 2 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED to the nation / until peace was threatened by those anti government activists O Killing of 13 soldiers in Jaffna in 1983 / marked the beginning of a new culture of violence O This cowardly act of terrorism / was the first ever incident of violence / against the state military forces by Tamil militants since independence O This particular incident provoked factions of Sinhalese in the South O As a result / a series of unfortunate incidents took place across the country O Alienated Tamils fled the island, seeking asylum abroad O Relations between the North and South became perturbed and constrained O

5. Meanwhile / Tamil Tigers / a separatists movement / fuelled by certain foreign powers / Tamil Diaspora / and some NGOs and INGOs / gained momentum until it grew up to be strong enough to capture / and hold a sizable area in the Northern and Eastern parts of the country O During the LTTE control of the Northern part of the country / transportation between North and South / came to a total 3 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED stand still after the YAL DEVI / the life line of Jaffna was attacked / and destroyed by the LTTE on 09 June 1985 O Since a part of the Main Supply Route too came under LTTE control / civilians’ movements by road crippled O The government had to provide transport for the civilians / mostly through air and sea O

6. Successive governments made every possible effort to solve the conflict politically / by negotiating with LTTE bilaterally / and at times / even with mediation of a third party or a facilitator O However / all such efforts were proved to be futile O

1985 - Thimpu talks (J R Jayawardhane Government) 1987 - Indo-Lanka accord (J R Jayawardhane Government) 1989 - Peace talks (R Premadasa Government) 1994 - Peace talks (CBK Government) 4 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED

2002 - CFA with Norwegian mediation (by then PM Ranil Wickramasinghe) 2005 - Peace talks (Present Government)

7. The LTTE / for reason best known to them / demanded ceasefire, prior to all those peace talks / which were complied with by all successive governments O But the LTTE abused the opportunities offered / and instead / strengthened their fighting power until they became a formidable guerilla force O However / the government forces continued to hold a few military bases in the O

8. Having failed to achieve a negotiated political solution for the issue / the government was finally compelled to launch a military operation to liberate Jaffna in 1995 / with a view to restoring law and order O Since then, the life in Jaffna peninsula has remained peaceful /

5 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED except a few occasional and isolated incidents that occurred O

9. The peninsula since then / had remained under government administration O Due to its strategic and geo political significance / an adequate military force was deployed to defend the liberated territory O

10. The 30 Year long separatist war came to a successful end in May 2009 / with the defeat of LTTE terrorists O Unwavering leadership of His Excellency the President / and unified effort of all the forces well coordinated by determined Defence Secretary / with the support of entire peace loving population of the country / opened the door to a newer and mostly unfamiliar peaceful environment O Post conflict responsibilities of the soldier / appeared to be more complex and complicated than ever before O SHORT FILM ON JAFFNA

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11. Overnight transformation of the image of the soldier from the ‘fighter’ to ‘protector’ / was thought to be necessary but crucial O Projection of the soldier as the ultimate guardian in the minds of Jaffna population / was considered to be the foundation stone for confidence building O It was not an easy task to transform / and assign the new responsibility of social reconstruction and nation building for those / who were trained as skilled soldiers O Mindset of soldiers, who fought a war for three decades / had to be transformed to identify mere basic needs of Jaffna population / and help them improve their quality of life O Changing of the role of a warrior to be a protector cum facilitator / helped our soldier to win the hearts and minds of the Tamil community O Making a leap forward in Civil Affairs / Security Force Headquarters Jaffna opened a Civil Affairs and Public Relations Office / in the Jaffna town on 09th March 2010 / and this office is open to civilians for 24 hours O The new office earned the trust of civilians with a short span / and 7 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED became famous as the “Public Relations Office” / where people could meet Army officers to seek relief for their grievances O 12. As the new concept took root / the Army was seen as their caretakers O Guard points were converted to be aid points / weapon emplacements and detachments were transformed to be CIMIC offices / citizen committees were re designated as development committees / and with all that / a comprehensive and sustainable plan was designed / and executed for social reintegration and nation building O Army played a vital role in the multi-pronged approach / to achieve sustainable peace in the aftermath of the war O With view to further fostering interactions between Army and civil communities / Security Forces Headquarters opened a website / www.cimicjaffna.lk / through which / effective communication was made quickly possible O Incumbent Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya commissioned the new website / which, on the other hand / helped the 8 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED

Army deny misinformation, disseminated by interested elements both here and abroad / while presenting the ground realities O

13. Jaffna society comprised of a population over 500,000 people of diverse religious / social / ethnic and cultural backgrounds too were needed to be transformed to accept the change O People, who were hopeless and helpless / needed to be encouraged to a newer lifestyle / masses, who were mislead and misguided were needed to be reoriented / segments, that were waiting to welcome the creation of a separate state / were needed to be motivated to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state O Younger generation that grew up in a lawless environment / was needed to be disciplined in the name of the social harmony O Ex- LTTE combatants and sympathizers / who suffered the humiliation of defeat were / needed to be rehabilitated,

9 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED encouraged and integrated into the mainstream as productive citizens O

14. Understanding the ground reality / fathoming the burning needs of different segments of society / identifying and respecting the existing social hierarchy / with a proper understanding of socio-cultural structure to address the needs of the majority / were identified as the crucial factors that are essential for the success of the CIMIC programmes O

15. Resources necessary for community support projects / were found as prompt allocations from government sources / contribution of officers and soldiers / donations from well wishers and at times / through personal contacts with friends O

16. Identified critical needs of the society / were timely attended to by the Army O 10 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED

De-mining activities

Shelter and livelihood development needs.

Educational Field.

Health and hygiene.

Livelihood facilities for rehabilitated ex-combatants.

Religious, social and cultural reintegration.

Sports and leisure activities.

Needs of differently able people and women headed families.

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Such needs were separately dealt with care / under a centrally controlled mechanism / maintaining very high tempo and with precise consistency O

No sooner peace was ushered to the country / His Excellency the President appointed a Presidential Task Force / with President’s Advisor and Hon. Minister Mr. Basil Rajapaksa as the Head to implement an accelerated development project for the North / known as “Wadakkin Wasantham” O The project allocated more than Rs 70,000 million / for Jaffna to enhance her infrastructure facilities O

RECONSTRUCTIONS AND THE ROLE OF MILITARY

17. People in Jaffna / within a shorter span of time realized that / Army as a friend of theirs rather than a foe / facilitating the government’s reconstruction effort / and 12 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED independent house construction programme for most needy O

18. Other than physical reconstruction / troops had to pacify people and re-orient mindset of Jaffna people / who lived in agony under the influence of terrorists for years O This was made possible because / soldiers forged good relations with civilian population through various CIMIC activities O Although some different social factions tried to discourage the general public getting on well with the Army / friendly behavior of soldier, however overcame those concerted efforts O

CONSTRUCTION OF HOUSES FILM AND READ THE TEXT 19. Army / having noticed the dire necessity for permanent shelters to the destitute / especially for those who languished at Welfare centers as Internally Displaced Personnel / initiated a housing project in Jaffna / which so 13 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED far has constructed nearly 1775 houses for people in Jaffna Peninsula / beside thousands being constructed by the government O Financial assistance was sought from officers and soldiers / and their personal contacts to obtain building materials O Soldiers, in addition contributed to the construction work with their own labour O

Division No of Houses 51 Div 375 52 Div 694 55 Div 706 Total 1775

EDUCATION

20. Army was convinced of the need to enhance infrastructure facilities for education in Jaffna / which earlier produced leaders and intellectuals to the country O A scholarship programme was launched to help poor 14 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED students O Many south-based philanthropists / as well as from Jaffna itself / joined hands with the Army to prosper the future of children of poor families O A separate page under the title of “Foster Parents” was published in the SF-J website / www.cimicjaffna.lk / inviting donors to come forward and assist them O A few foreigners / after surfing the website / during their visits to the island / inquired about those children and offered scholarships O It is sad to say that the response of Diaspora Tamils was not very encouraging O At the same time / Students who secured higher aggregate at provincial and in national level examinations / were accorded warm welcome and felicitations at the Civil Affairs Office O

21. A number of school buildings were constructed by the military / with state financial assistance and contribution of philanthropists O Best examples are Thelippalai Mahajana College and Kopay Navalar School O 15 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED

READ WHILE PHOTOS ARE DISPLAYED 22. North South Familiarization Programmes a. Children who had never stepped out of the Peninsula / were taken by the Army on sightseeing / and educational tours to Colombo, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and areas O

b. A large number of students / teachers and parents of many Jaffna schools / were taken to the Temple Trees to experience warm welcome / extended by HE the President and staff at his official residence O

c. Opportunity was provided for hundreds of Jaffna students / to see the grandeur of Deyata Kirula 2012 exhibition / held in Anuradhapura, which portrays the national development O

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CULTURAL REVIVAL

23. SF-J Headquarters instructed all Divisions / to follow the Hindu calendar regularly and / to plan CIMIC activities accordingly O This was a catalyst to further narrow down the gap / between the Army and the Hindu population O All Hindu festivals of well known Hindu temples were ably supported by the Army O On every Thai Pongal day that falls in January / Army organizes a function at the Elephant Pass: Gateway to Jaffna where Popngal rice is cooked and served to many thousands of passers - by O

24. Deepavali, and Sinhala and Hindu New Year Festivals /are annually organized by the Army in Jaffna O

25. Above all /with sheer intention of preserving the Jaffna culture / Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna has arranged a special project / to educate the visitors about 17 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED unique features of Jaffna culture O An instructional leaflet is distributed for all visitors / entering through the Elephant Pass to follow during their stay in Jaffna O This educative programme is widely admired by both locals and foreigners O

RELIGIOUS REVIVAL

26. With the end of war / a series of measures were taken by the troops / to renovate the Hindu Temples and Christian Churches / facilitating spiritual development of the people O This meritorious act was well received by the people and they came forward to support these programmes O

27. Army’s ample support is always extended to all religious festivals O Medical assistance / water supply / security and meals for the devotees pouring / during the

18 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED annual festival of the famous Nallur temple, is a case in point O

28. Depicting the similarities between the Buddhism and Hinduism / and promoting the religious harmony / a mega Vesak Zone is organized in the Jaffna // city centre during the Vesak week O

29. Christmas Carols annually organized by the Army / at the Church of Our Lady of Refuge in Jaffna / is another crowd puller which was regularly attended and highly appreciated by the Most Rev. Fr. Dr. Thomas Saundaranayagam, the Jaffna Bishop and the clergy O FILM OF BISHOP REVIVAL OF HEALTH PROSPECTS

30. Before the resettlement of civilians in Vadamarachchi areas / Army assisted government health

19 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED authorities to renovate rural Hospitals / and dispensaries in respective areas O

31. Organizing Medical Camps for people in remote areas / has become a routine in the Army calendar of events in Jaffna O During such medical camps / Army found three heart patients, a twenty one year old girl Kajeenthini / a three year old boy Santhos / and three year old girl Apisha who needed immediate medical intervention to save their lives O They were airlifted to Colombo / and admitted to Asiri Heart Care Centre / where they underwent successful surgeries O( a talk on Apisha’s father) Asiri Heart Care Centre has agreed to perform two heart surgeries free of charge on Jaffna patients per month at the request of the Headquarters Security Forces – Jaffna O

32. Nine Surgical Beds / and twenty nine medical beds / were handed over to the Regional Director / Health 20 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED

Services Jaffna on October 2010 O The donation was sponsored by a friend in Australia O This was additional to many other donations / made by the Army to Jaffna Health sector O

33. In the month of January 2010 / Jaffna topped the list of death due to dengue O Army jumped in to action and launched anti dengue campaigns to clean mosquito breeding locations O Awareness programmes were simultaneously organized / to educate civilians and finally / the Army succeeded in bringing the dengue-affected mortality rate down to the 5th place by May in the same year O

34. Needs of innocent civilians who turned differently able due to war / or other ailments were also compassionately looked into by the Army O Soldiers sought assistance of donor agencies / and arranged donations of artificial limbs for such civilians O 21 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED

35. Blood requirement of the Jaffna hospital / is continuously provided by the Army at the request of hospital authorities O Due to prevailing caste differences in Jaffna, most people do not donate blood to others O But the blood of soldiers saved many lives in Jaffna O

REVIVAL OF SPORTS

36. Army / having realized the support needed to enhance the quality of sports / initiated many programmes to develop sports activities such as cricket / Rugby / Taekwondo / and athletics in the peninsula O Distribution of sports gear among clubs and schools too by the Army is a common occurrence O

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PROMOTION OF LIVELIHOOD

37. The major effort of the Army to de-mine all agricultural lands / paid huge dividends to families in the North / which enhanced the income of farmers in many folds O Also, prompt lifting of fishing restrictions by the government / facilitated fishermen to enhance their income and fish harvest was tremendously increased O

38. A special emphasis was focused on creation of job opportunities to the Ex-combatants / since sound economy would solve their problems O The Army initiated a crab fattening program / and growing of Aloe Vera plants for cosmetic industry O

39. Army launched a special livelihood project for Jaffna poor people to get their economy boosted O

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CONCLUSION

40. In the process of reconstruction and resettlement, Army Army has taken Jaffna a long way to achieve sustainable peace O CIMIC activities implemented so far with the unfailing support of Jaffna people have brought Jaffna to the doorstep of its former glory O Government development plans assisted by the military in Jaffna would continue until Jaffna reaches the desired goal in future O

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