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Lest
we forget – The Ranaviru
By Dr, Narmmasena F. Wickremesinghe, Consultant in Occupational
Medicine Ultra Medics, WTC, Fort and Former Head of Ranaviru
Seva Authority
It was the Elephant Pass debacle in 2000, that spurred the
nation to realise what an awful debt, it owes the personnel
in the Armed Services and Police and their families. The ‘Ranaviru
Surakum Ekakaya’ and the ‘Ranaviru Seva Authority’
were formed to provide psychosocial services to them on donations
from the public. President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga
declared June 7th as ‘Ranaviru Day’, to remember
and salute the living, disabled, and fallen soldiers and their
families and to aspire for peace. It is a day, when every
citizen should light a lamp at 6.00 p.m.for this purpose.
The beginnings
By the beginning of the year 2000, thousands of soldiers,
sailors, airmen and police personnel had sacrificed their
lives and body parts, in the defence of the peace, unity,
sovereignty, and territorial integrity of our beloved Sri
Lanka.
Then came the Elephant Pass debacle, in April 2000. There
was a threat that, 45,000 troops stationed in the Jaffna Peninsula,
will be slaughtered by the LTTE brigands. President Chandrika
Kumaratunga realised the enormity of this intended massacre,
on the morale of the whole country, if it came to pass, with
45,000 grieving families in every hamlet, village and town.
Fortunately, the brave soldiers at Elephant Pass with heroic
action by the Air Force, extricated themselves and although
a huge disaster was averted, it was at a severe cost of life,
mind and limb and the isthmus that, joins the peninsula to
the rest of the country, was lost to the hands of terrorist
forces.
President Kumaratunga got her trusted and efficient Advisor,
Dr. Tara De Mel to immediately organise a psycho-social unit,
called the Ranaviru Surakum Ekakaya (RSE or Human Intervention
Unit), to cater to the needs of the demoralised Service and
Police personnel, grieving widows and mothers, and the differently
abled at strife and to drum up support and solidarity, both
financial and moral, from the citizens of Sri Lanka, for their
brave defenders. It was a small unit within the Presidential
Secretariat, consisting of an Occupational Physician, a Clinical
Psychologist, a Sociological Biochemist, and a Computer Operator
(Dr. Narme F. Wickremesinghe, Shehani De Silva, Dr. Visaka
Dissanayake, and Ms. D.L. Maduka Chaturani), with several
voluntary workers and counsellors (three of whom were family
members of service personnel missing in action). They obtained
specialised advice from a ‘Cell’, that met once
a week, with the RSE and consisted of a Consultant Psychiatrist
(Dr. Damani De Silva) and three Clinical Psychologists (Gameela
Samarasinghe, Kalhari Hewage – De Silva, and Rushika
Amerasekara). There was also another grassroots Advisory Body,
that met monthly, consisting of the Welfare and Medical Directors
of the Armed Forces and Police, representatives of four organisations
of the families, of those missing, killed and disabled in
action, Brig. Ananda Jayawardena of the Defence Ministry,
Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne of Sarvodaya, Psychatrists, and Psychologists.
A prominent role in this Advisory Body was played by Visaka
Dharmadasa, Druki Martenstein, Lali Kobbekaduwa, Asoka Dayaratne,
Charmaine Mendis, Drs. Tara De Mel and Padmini Mendis, Psys.
Piyanjali de Zoysa, Nayomi Kannangara, Parwani Pinnawela,
and Eshani Kalpage.
Thousands of communications flooded the RSE (and later the
RVSA). Every letter and telephone call was actively pursued
for a solution and replied. A ranaviru help desk was established
in every Government Ministry and Secretariat, throughout the
country (and in the Army transit camps and hospitals) to facilitate
problem solving, minimise post traumatic reactions and for
the quick processing of compensation claims – breaking
down bureaucratic barriers, with a personal thrust by the
President. Needs assessment surveys showed that, much of the
morale problems besetting the combatants, disabled and their
families emanated from social deprivations.
Ranaviru Day
(Strife Heroes Day)
Thus was born the Rana Viru Seva Authority (RVSA), on June
7th , 2000 with Dr. Tara De Mel, as the first Chairperson,
to attend to the social needs of Service and Police Personnel,
the differently abled and their families, on public donations
alone. The President declared June 7th each year, to be commemorated
as Rana Viru Day, and called upon the public for financial
support, to conduct welfare programmes for the ranaviru. On
the first Ranaviru Day in 2000, Ministers, Parliamentarians
of all political hues and other VIPs, met at the Presidential
Secretariat, in honour of the strife heroes - living, disabled,
missing and killed and their families, who had given all for
our Motherland and on our behalf. Then they dispersed to collect
funds in every electoral district. At Mt. Lavinia, tragedy
struck - a terroist suicide bomber let go his venom in the
midst of a procession, collecting funds led by the amiable
Minister C.V. Guneratne. He and his wife with many others
including children were killed on the spot. Large numbers
were injured.
Ranaviru Seva
Authority (-RVSA)
Undaunted, Dr. Tara de Mel organised the Rana Viru Seva Authority,
on modern management lines - minimum staff, maximum output,
ruthlessly cutting down on bureaucracy, adopting a participatory
approach and the cooperation of the private sector. For its
first three years, emoluments of staff cost less than 10%
of the total output - a feature no other Government Institution
had achieved, and the cost of welfare projects output, was
from donations only. Unfortunately, the picture has changed
drastically, during the last few years with politicisation,
and staff numbers have nearly trebled (and their wages paid
from interests on unutilised donations) and ranaviru welfare
activities reduced. The funds from the Ranaviru Lottery are
now kept by the Treasury!
Dr. Tara De Mel recruited a small band of graduates, with
post graduate management training in the private sector and
without any State sector experience, to do the massive work
load for the welfare of those who maintain the integrity of
our nation, on a scientific basis of need, rather than a Government
bureaucratic approach.
Young Priyantha Kulatunga was appointed as the Projects Manager.
The projects were established under a single youthful project
officer - Housing (Chrishanthi Marambe), Educational Scholarships
(Chandima Kosgahakumbura), Skill Development (Manoj Kumara
- later R.M. Wijeratne), the Disabled (Manjula Senadeera),
Media publicity (Sirimalee Liyanagama), Transit camp and Remembrance
Park (Chamil Samarasinghe) and Legal (Suhada Gamlath and Indra
Baduge). Graduate field officers (Bonnie Gamage, Kapila Nonis,
Shanthasri, Kamalsiri and Wimalaratna) travelled throughout
the country, to report on the progress of the projects, supervised
and paid by private sector experts. There were no clerks or
labourers. A.L.D. Gunaratne and Rajindra Perera, of the Presidential
Secretariat advised the Chairperson on Government financial
and administrative procedures. Tulani Dewamitta and Maduka
Chathurani, with volunteers handled the correspondence, Priyanga
Ratnayake, Sisira Kumara and Priyanga Padmasiri did the transportation.
Two officers from the Petroleum Corporation (Priyanka and
Niroshan Hapuarachchi) were seconded.
Professional committees assisted the Project Officers, to
give a rational methodology to project work. Prominent among
them were, Armyne Wirasinhe, Cubby Wijetunga, Charmaine Wijesnghe,
Lal De Mel, Prof. Kumudu Wijewardena, Lt. Gen. Denis Perera,
Vijaya Malalasekara, Lakshman Nugawela and Drs. Padmini Mendis,
Thiloma Munasinghe and Narme Wickremesinghe. The RSE continued
its ‘Healing Minds’ and ‘Family Help’
Projects, and after 1 ½ years was amalgamated with
the RVSA, with Dr. Visaka Dissanayake, as the Projects Coordinator.
Meanwhile, the business community contributed lavishly towards
the welfare projects and got actively involved in the Housing
and Skills (especially Mr. Armyne Wirasinghe). The Ceylon
Tobacco Company was actively involved in setting up of the
National Remembrance Park in Mailapitiya, off Kandy and spent
about Rs. 7 million. The Sri Lankans abroad, especially those
in Saudi Arabia, led by Lakshman Waragoda and Lalith de Silva
(now a Director of Srilankan), were the main contributors
to the Educational Scholarships Project, amounting to nearly
12.5 million rupees. The President’s Fund contributed
100 million rupees, to the Housing Project and loaned Rs.
7 million to the National Remembrance Park Project. A large
number of expatriate Sri Lankans responded to the RSE web
site and contributed Rs. 5 million to the Psycho-social Project.
However, it must be stated that, people of all walks of life
gave their mite, to all the projects and did not forget the
sacrifices of the ranaviru. For some unknown reason upto date,
there have been no contributions from any politicians - including
those who shout themselves hoarse with war cries!
The Staff, volunteers, and advising professionals of the RVSA,
showed a rare commitment, to ensure the welfare and empowerment
of countless war affected persons, outside the strife zone.
The working motto was ‘Care for those who dare’.
There were no claims for overtime, although they worked outside
working hours. This enthusiasm was infused by the dynamism
of Dr. Tara De Mel, who sadly resigned in a few months to
become the Secretary, Education Ministry. Her successor as
Chairperson, Dr. Narme F. Wickremesinghe, continued the same
Projects, using the same methodology from November 2000 to
May 2003. He was succeeded by Maj. Gen. Neil Dias, then Col.
Lalith Gunaratne, and now an Acting Chairperson Maj. Gen.
Palitha Fernando. It was in 2003, that, two serving Government
bureaucrats were appointed full time, for the first time to
the RVSA, to streamline the administration and financial management,
but ever since, the welfare projects seem to have come to
a near standstill.
Housing, scholarship and disabled
All work of the RVSA in the first three years, was done on
private donations and returns from the Jayaviru Lottery (NLB).
The major social project was housing, selecting 25 recipients
in each District, on a strict marking scheme, without any
outside influence. 2000 housing units were built with the
participation of the recipients and their neighbours in all
Provinces, outside the North and East. The Project is now
politicised and barely active. Similarly around 1,000 scholarships
of Rs. 500 per ranaviru child, per month in grades 11 - 14,
for two years, was awarded, linking the donor family, to the
recipient family.
Occupational training and psychological empowerment training
for the differently-abled ranaviru and strife widows, was
conducted in the first three years. There are over 10,000
disabled at strife, but most of them are still retained in
the Armed Forces and are provided marketable skills training
for use, by the Army’s Ranaviru Sevana, when they retire.
However, Police personnel who are disabled, are prematurely
retired and they receive a pittance. Few are bed ridden and
some are speech disabled, but they are trained at the Army
Hospital, to return to near normalcy, by Dr. Shirani De Saram,
the Speech Pathologist, assisted by other volunteers from
the Gen. Denzil Kobbekaduwa Trust. The RVSA provided funds
and made arrangements for the water supply, to five ranaviru
gammana which houses the differently abled and strife widows.
161 telephones, 41 three wheelers, 08 computers, 500 mobile
toilets and 86 houses were provided or facilitated for them,
by the RVSA.
At present, most of the welfare projects for combatants, differently
abled and families of the lost are done only by the Seva Vanitha
Units and the Welfare, Rehabilitation and Medical Directorates
of the Armed Forces and of the Police. A separate Ministry
has been established for welfare work, headed by President
Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Psycho-social Project
Perhaps, the most successful project in terms of the original
objectives in the formation of the RSE and RVSA, was the psychosocial
project, sadly no longer fully active. Women’s empowerment
training (including skills training by Sarvodaya) for strife
affected women, was conducted in 16 Districts, to overcome
unresolved grief and to get on with life. Psycho-sexual workshops
for women soldiers and attitudinal seminars for arrested deserters,
were also done. Several workshops for women soldiers and attitudinal
seminars for arrested deserters, were also done. Several workshops
for relevant personnel in the Armed Forces and Police, with
international resource persons were organised, with the assistance
of the late Psy. Dr. Padmal De Silva, Dr. Athula Sumathipala
and Dr. Anula Nikapotha of the Institute of Psychiatry. Kings
College, London, and the Sri Lanka - UK Trauma Group.
A project proposal for the re-integration of retiring combatants
and of the disabled, into civilian life was developed with
the assistance of the International Labour Organisation. Although
the RVSA itself has dropped this project, which was part of
the Government’s Triple R Peace Programme, it was later
partly implemented, as a pilot Project by the International
Organisation for Migration. Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe
has listed this Project to be done by the Disaster Management
Ministry. Soldiers from the Psy-Ops Directorate and Special
Forces, were trained in the aspects they requested, and personnel
with psychological problems were attended, daily. The psycho-social
project also attended to a huge volume of correspondence,
visits and calls on personal problems, where the requests
were seen to a definitive conclusion - done by six females
(Jayanthi, Ganga, Shirani de Alwis, Champika, Rasanjala and
Attorney Indra Baduge). Legal and land matters were facilitated
by this project, and mobile clinics were organised. This work
has now been handed over to politicised cells in the Districts
and therefore, welfare work takes a back seat.
National
Remembrance Park (NRP)
The Project, that leaves a permanent mark for posterity of
the nation’s gratitude, to the Armed Services and Police,
is the National Remembrance Park (NRP), established on the
theme ‘Peace and Life has come from Death and Strife’
and which was dedicated by President, on October 03, 2002
in the presence of about 10,000 strife victims and VIPs. Personnel
from the Armed Services, Police, Tobacco Company, RVSA, District
Secretariat, Presidential Secretariat, Mahaweli Authority,
and Architects (Mano Ponniah, and the late Turner Wickremesinghe),
enthusiastically joined together, to set up this Park at Mailapitiya,
Kandy. It would not have seen the light of day, if not for
the dogged persistence and perfectionism of Gen. Denis Perera.
The names of 21,361 heroes killed and missing in action, since
the Independence of Sri Lanka in 1948, are inscribed in granite
(and now much more have been added) in a serene ecologically
sound environment, with a unique artistic steel monument and
four religious shrines at the entrance. This Rupees 25 million
project proposal envisaged an independent Trust, to continue
its maintenance and development with the Services Commanders
and IGP, as the trustees. The Trust Deed was approved by the
Attorney General and the Judge Advocate General to the Forces,
Rs. 4 million collected, as donations for the Trust, and the
deed signed by the Trustees and by all those actively involved
with the establishment of the NRP, but bureaucracy thwarted
the Trust Deed from being registered. However, the NRP continues
to be maintained unofficially, according to the provisions
of the intended Trust Deed. It is hoped that, an independent
trust without State bureaucracy will be established, for the
future development of the National Remembrance Park, including
the planting of a tree, for each one missing in action, who
have no specific place of remembrance.
The same project handled improvements to the Transit Camps.
A new Womens Transit Camp was established in Galkissa and
new billets were built at Anuradhapura. Land was obtained
for a new transit camp at Ratmalana and Rupees 15 million
collected, but again administrative bungling has thwarted
further progress, and soldiers proceeding to the North, continue
to experience untold suffering and are angry about the theatre
of operations.
Conclusion
The words of President Chandrika Kumaranatunga at the dedication
for the NRP, is relevant for all time: “Let it not be
said that, in our earnest quest for peace, that we left behind
forsaken, like a spent force, our Soldiers and our Police.
Let it never be said that, we used them and forsook them.”
For the same occasion, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
wrote: “At this time, when peace is to reign, I am glad
that, the RVSA and the CTC have joined hands, to give leadership
to the public and private sectors, to honour the heroes of
the Armed Forces and Police”.
The ballad of Bill Ray Cyrus adapted and sung at the Memorial
Service for the late Lt. Gen. Denzil Kobbekaduwa, remains
apt:
All gave some, some gave all,
Some stood through for a nation, so true
and some had to fall.
And if you ever think of me
Think of all your liberties and recall
SOME GAVE ALL
Let us continue to honour and give priority, to those who
defend the peace and integrity of Mother Lanka.
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