Mr. Adam Lebbe Ramlar, a long time deep water fisherman, has to share boats with the community since the tsunami destroyed his boat. He is appealing to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatics for a replacement.

Religious leaders, ministers and guests waited patiently for the auspicious time, when the time was right to lay the first stone for the construction of the new fisheries harbour in Valaichchenai, Batticoloa. Representatives from all three major religions and from the political realm took part in the ceremony on February 19. Disaster Relief Services Minister M.S.S. Ameer Ali was welcomed at the gate by a hand-painted sign, expressing thanks for building a new fishing harbour complex, which will replace the dilapidated structures that currently line the harbour.

Valaichchenai was under LTTE attack in 1992, and since then the one time economic hub of east coast deep water fishing has struggled to survive. A resurgence in LTTE activity and the tsunami in 2004 further obstructed the progress in the area, and local fishermen and their families saw their incomes drop due to the delayed assistance and restrictions on their work.

Following the ceremony the leaders attended a political meeting, where SLFP-blue flags fluttered across the skies. It was said to be the first governing party meeting in the area for over 18 years.

Nearby, on the field adjoining the meeting site, two families watched from their houses with military security officers posted on their roof and in their yards, three small children played and the family’s small herd of goats nibbled several plants in the vicinity.

The families seemed to enjoy watching the crowds coming for the meeting , the movements of the police, and ministerial convoys that set upon their small, usually quiet home. The head of one of the households, Adam Lebbe Ramlar, told reporters he was pleased with the progress in the area since the tsunami and the war, which devastated the district. Ramlar, a graying man who mixes easily among Sinhala and and Tamil people, lives with his two teenage children and several other family members. He showed reporters his membership card from the Kalkudan Muslim Fisherman’s Society.

The violent conflict between with LTTE and the Sri Lankan Army have impacted approximately 60 percent of the nation’s coastline, according to a Ministry document published in 2007 outlining a ten-year plan for revitalising the industry. The displacement of fishermen from their homes, and the restrictions imposed on fishing for security reasons has, according the the Ministry’s assessment, "resulted in a considerable fall in production." In a nod to the most recent clashes, the report states that attempts to help fishermen in the east have been stymied "due to the non-conducive ground situation in the areas concerned."

The fishing and market complex at Valaichchenai is a part of the plan. It is aimed specifically at people like Ramlar and — longtime fisherman who has not been able to work due to natural and human disasters that have plagued the Eastern Province. Ramlar has not been able to work full time in over four years; not since the 2004 tsunami destroyed his deep water fishing boat.

The local fisherman’s welfare society, administered by the Eastern Provincial Council, has provided the local fishing community with three fishing boats, which they must share, effectivereasons cut their earning power by more than half.

Since the tsunami, Ramlar has filed several written requests with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatics for funding to replace his boat. The letters he showed to reporters were written in flawless English, one dated February 21, 2007, almost two years to the day when the first stone was laid for the new fisheries market .

Completion of the Valaichchenai harbour project is scheduled to be in 2012.