| by Rajasingham Jayadevan
( February 10, 2013, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) The war affected Jaffna is experiencing the worst in some respect, whilst traditions are hard struggling to cope. The divides between the old and young and the scrupulous and immortals are painstaking battles in the prevailing social conditions. The war victims are the embedded phenomenon who are struggling to uplift through the unpleasant conditions that are strangulating their emergence from the ruts of the war.
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The fear and suppression of democratic voices in the north and the rule of the paramilitary forces is helping this illegal business find its deep roots. Even the elected Tamil leaders of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) who are duty bound to play their role to arrest the degrading trade are maintaining dumfounded silence.
The unscrupulous are making their landmarks in some front, whilst right thinking Tamils are making significant inroads to move forward and this will be the determinant factor that could overwhelm the status quo of the enterprising Tamil people of the north.
My recent visit to Jaffna visualised the underlying and emerging trend and if it is not disturbed will make the Tamil areas of the north a place built from the ruins.
Lack of strategic post war economic planning for Jaffna and residuals of the society running the visionless politics with the government backing, is showing all the pains in the emerging trend. Despite obstacles faced, private investment appears to slowly make its landmarks.
Having spoken to some section of the society, there appears to be plans to develop a major private sector hospital, a factory to export fishery products and some small scale manufacturing industries in the north. Whilst these processes are thought through, scars of the war on the building structures in the north are being rapidly overwhelmed due to refurbishment works on the war damaged and derelict properties by the people. However, unclaimed or unattended houses still reflect the ghastly signs of the war and these too are expected to change in the months and years ahead.
Once highly held value system of the north is undermined by the unscrupulous elements that appears to thrive on the post war social deprivations and is attempting to show its ugly rule. One such a degrading venture is the Honeymoon Lodge in Kaithady, that is overtly promoting sex trade without any fear . According to information gathered, such businesses are carried out in many secret locations in Jaffna.
When inquired about the Honeymoon lodge, the 65 year old owner managed business is charging Rs1,500 per hour for a room for sex business. Though the lodge is not flooded with pimpy quick fixers, occasional visits are helping the owner meet his ends and to be overwhelmed with intoxication from morning to evening. When I asked a tuk-tuk driver why the locals are not protesting, I was told the owner is patronised by the law enforcement officials and the government backed paramilitary political leadership.
The fear and suppression of democratic voices in the north and the rule of the paramilitary forces is helping this illegal business find its deep roots. Even the elected Tamil leaders of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) who are duty bound to play their role to arrest the degrading trade are maintaining dumfounded silence. A legitimate campaign of protest to end the culture is a much wanted effort for the society that is being subdued by the unscrupulous and conditioned political interests.
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