August 4, 2006
By Michelle Scott

NEW YORK – The slow simmer of war came to a full boil in Northeastern Sri Lanka in early August.

Fighting between the Sri Lanka Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has dramatically increased in the Trincomalee District of northeastern Sri Lanka, an area where the United Methodist Committee on Relief has been working toward tsunami recovery.

Fighting has displaced communities where UMCOR is working and has caused the organization to halt its reconstruction activities in order to provide relief to families displaced by the violence.

Currently, UMCOR is among a handful of humanitarian aid organizations providing emergency assistance in the conflicted area.

The agency is working closely with the Methodist Church of Sri Lanka to bring aid to displaced people. About 300 people seeking shelter in a local mosque and Methodist church are receiving food and other support from UMCOR and Methodist staff in the Trincomalee area.

UMCOR also is collaborating with the other aid agencies remaining in Trincomalee to prepare a coordinated response when a humanitarian corridor is opened in Mutur. They have organized supplies and transport to help the approximately 35,000 displaced people.

"As a humanitarian aid organization, we have a special responsibility to ensure that the basic needs of people are met in times of conflict and natural disaster," said Guy Hovey, UMCOR Sri Lanka's head of mission. "We will continue to coordinate with other aid agencies, religious institutions and authorities to collaboratively assist displaced families in Trincomalee."

On the other side of a mile-wide bay from Trincomalee is the town of Mutur, where UMCOR has been rebuilding homes and critical infrastructure, such as roads, water supply and sanitation systems.

Mutur is now the center of much of the armed conflict as the Tamil Tigers and the army fight for control of the town. From the UMCOR office in Trincomalee, Hovey said he can hear the shelling in Mutur and he wonders how much of UMCOR's reconstruction work is left there.

The Methodist Church in Mutur, with UMCOR's support, has been housing about 150 families displaced by the increasing violence over the past 10 weeks. At the present time, UMCOR personnel cannot safely enter Mutur to bring supplies and Methodist Church staff members in Mutur are caught in the crossfire.

"Even as the world spotlight shines on the violence in the Middle East, conflicts such as the one in Sri Lanka continue to rage unnoticed," said the Rev. Paul Dirdak, UMCOR's chief executive.

"UMCOR's commitment to alleviate suffering often brings us to the doorstep of such conflicts," he added. "We use our experience to bring relief, build peace and foster solid communities even in places where the world is no longer looking."

The Methodist Church of Sri Lanka is working with other religious leaders in both the capital city of Columbo and in Mutur to bring humanitarian aid to Mutur.

The pastor of the Methodist Church in Mutur, along with the local Catholic priest and imam, tied white sheets to their vehicles and drove throughout the area to transport the wounded so the Sri Lankan Navy could bring those in need of medical attention to Trincomalee.

In Columbo, Methodist staff members have joined other religious leaders to call for a ceasefire in Mutur. They are working together to allow for humanitarian aid to reach this northeastern corner of this island nation.

Cash gifts support UMCOR's relief efforts in Sri Lanka. Checks can be mailed to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. Write "UMCOR Advance #982450, International Disaster Response – Sri Lanka" on the memo line of the check. One hundred percent of all gifts are used for relief in Sri Lanka.

United Methodist News Service
Michelle Scott is a communications specialist with the United Methodist Committee on Relief.