The opening of the road to Jaffna was one of the dividends of the Presidential Election. It illustrated the benefits that could accrue to the people due to the competitive bidding for votes by rival political parties. In its bid to attract votes from the North prior to the Presidential Election, the government relaxed several of its security measures. One of these was the restrictions on travel to Jaffna by the A9 highway. This was promise that the government made, implemented immediately, and has kept even after the election. Unfortunately, as I discovered on a visit to Jaffna last week, there were also promises the government made and did not keep which has bitterly disappointed the people. They include the reunification of detainees in the camps with their families, and the dismantling of High Security Zones to enable people to get back their long lost lands.

The last occasion I had travelled along the A9 highway up to Jaffna was in 2005 during the period of the Ceasefire Agreement and just prior to the fateful Presidential Election that the LTTE decreed the Tamil people should boycott. Even at the tail end of the ill fated Ceasefire there was quite a lot of traffic on the road beyond Vavuniya and running through the LTTE-controlled area. Large numbers of Sinhalese people from the South used the period of the Ceasefire to make the pilgrimage to the historic place of Buddhist worship in Nagadipa, which is among the eight most sacred Buddhist places of worship on the island.

But there was a difference this time. The travelers in the buses were more relaxed. This was evident in the fact that at various intervals along the road there were groups of people who had stopped their buses and were having little picnics by the side of the road. By way of contrast, during the period of the Ceasefire there was a more regimented flow of traffic. The LTTE monitored the road north of Vavuniya and drivers of vehicles took care to observe the strict speed limits set by the LTTE, as its traffic police could impose stiff fines on those who violated their traffic rules.

During the Ceasefire period, there was also an apprehension of LTTE cadre and roadside landmines that deterred travelers from getting off their vehicles and relaxing by the roadside. This was accompanied by the belief that the LTTE did not permit anyone to get off their vehicles between Vavuniya and Jaffna, and no one appeared willing to take the chance that they might indeed mean business. The LTTE was then a powerful force, and a virtual government in that part of the country. But now with the LTTE defeated and destroyed nine months ago, there was no fear factor to deter the pilgrim traveller.

Southern influx

In their bid to win the votes of the people, government politicians have been emphasising the government’s victory in war over the LTTE, which previous governments were unable to do. Unless handled sensitively, this triumphal attitude cans spill over into one that sees the North as a place of conquest rather than a place of equal citizenship. There is an urging of the Sinhalese people in the South to travel to the North to see the history of their country and appreciate the sacrifice of the soldiers who heroically fought the war and, of course, the political leadership who made this all possible. There was a widespread belief amongst the people I spoke to in Jaffna that there was government sponsorship of the Sinhalese pilgrims who are coming to the North. But this was not borne out by my inquiries. The buses that come from the South invariably hold rural people who are coming on a religious pilgrimage of their own.

Indeed, the increased tourist traffic from the South into Jaffna is incredible. When I went to the Nallur Temple on Saturday morning, I saw more than ten buses of all sizes, big and small, parked by and streams of pilgrims going into the temple precincts. This increased tourism has been a boon to some sectors of the population in Jaffna and given a boost to the local economy. There is a high demand for local products such as dried fish and prawns and palymrah products. Apparently the demand is so high that similar products from the South are imported to Jaffna and sold to unsuspecting customers who are prepared to pay premium prices to obtain something authentically Jaffna.

Rooms in hotels and guesthouses are also marketed at a premium rate of between Rs 2000 to 4000 per night. This matches the rates in Colombo and other parts of the country where the main market is for foreign tourists. This has led some house owners in Jaffna to terminate their tenancy agreements and convert their spare rooms into guest rooms for the local tourists. Despite this market-induced increase in the number of rooms available for tourists the number falls significantly short of the demand. During the years of the war, investment in housing and property in Jaffna was understandably low. Not many people wished to put their investments in assets that might be blown up in the course of fighting. As a result many of the pilgrims coming in from the South are unable to find affordable accommodation.