Photographs Tamilwin

Tamils gathered across the North-East in remembrance of their loved ones that perished during the 2004 Tsunami.

Remembrance services took place in Vadamaraachchi East, Mullaitheevu and Batticaloa marking the 9th year anniversary of the disaster. The TNA MP, S. Sreetharan, NPC councillors Ananthi Sasitharan and Aingaranesan, and the TNPF President, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam attended the event in Vadamaraachchi.

Reverend Father Elmo lights a flame of remembrance in Manalkaadu

Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, President of the TNPF

The tsunami which devastated the coastal areas of the North-East and the South, claiming the lives of over 35,000 people across the island.

The North-East however, took the brunt of the devastation, with two thirds of the 35,000 deaths occurring in the North-East.

A joint report by the World Bank, ADB, and JBIC concluded: "the North East is the region worst affected by the tsunami."

Yet, international aid did not reach the North-East, where it was evidently most needed. (See the maps on the cover and page iv of this 2005 report by the Colombo government itself showing the extent of the waves' impact.)

The then TNA MP, Joseph Pararajasingham, expressed his shock at the disregard shown for the plight of those in the North-East by Sri Lankan political parties, during an 'urgent disaster management' meeting called by the government the day after the tsunami.

Speaking to reporters, Pararajasingham said:

"The devastation and destruction in the northeast was discussed for not more than five minutes during the two hour conference,”

"In fact the situation in the Northeast was taken up only after I raised the issue [at the end]. They [are] simply not bothered about the plight of our people."

Almost exactly one year later, Mr. Pararajasingham was assassinated as he attended Midnight Mass at St Mary's Church in Batticaloa. Two gunmen walked in and opened fire, killing the MP, and wounding eight others, including his wife.

On the December 30th, 2004, four days after the tsunami struck, the Uthayan newspaper wrote in its editorial:

"Though it is now three days since ... the heart melting tragedy, the situation reports received from many parts of the North-East have it that no relief from the Sri Lankan government has reached them as yet.”

In Dec. 2009 Transparency International said nearly half a billion dollars received by Sri Lanka in tsunami aid is unaccounted for and over $600 million was spent on projects unrelated to the disaster.

With international aid struggling to trickle past Colombo into the North-East, much of the development, both in physical rehabilitation, and humanitarian missions, as well as financial aid was undertaken by the Tamil diaspora, including many within the second generation, traveling to the North-East for the first time.

See related articles and opinions:

UNI (28 Dec 2005) - UN unhappy with post-tsunami efforts

Steve Bird, writing in The Times (05 Oct 2005) - How charities hampered tsunami aid

No tsunami aid deal in the offing - LTTE (20 Apr 2005)

Tamil Guardian's editorial (20 Apr 2005) - Share Aid, Boost Peace