14 years after tsunami, political wrangling delays Saudi-donated 500 houses to victims

By Mohammed Rasooldeen 

More than a decade after tsunami, Lankans’ political wrangling is delaying delivery of Saudi-donated houses.

The tsunami that hit Sri Lanka in December 2004 killed more than 30,000 people in the island and left another 5,000 people missing from its shores.

In response to an appeal made by Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia built 500 housing units in Norochcholai, a division in the Ampara District of the island, to house the victims who were rendered homeless.

“We have to give these houses to the beneficiaries without any further delay. It is the Government’s responsibility to respect the friendly donor country which has shown concern about Sri Lanka’s problems,” National Unity Alliance (NUA) President Azath Salley told Daily FT.

In addition to the 500 houses, the SR 420 million township included separate schools for boys and girl, playground, stadium, shopping complex and a mosque. The project was fully funded by Saudi Charity Fund. 

In 2011, the Saudi Government handed the keys of the houses to the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa for distribution among the tsunami victims, who were mainly Muslims in the Amparai District.

The distribution was temporarily suspended on a Court order which instructed the authorities to distribute the houses according to the ratio of the country’s population which has 80% Buddhist population, whereas the Saudi aid was given mainly to help 325 Muslim families who were affected by the tsunami and the remaining houses to be distributed among the other Sinhalese and Tamil communities.

Recently, President Maithripala Sirisena instructed his officials to hand over the houses to the 325 victims who were directly affected by the tsunami and the remaining houses to non-Muslims in the neighbouring areas.

Minister of Industry and Commerce Resettlement of Protracted Displaced Persons and Cooperative Development Rishad Bathiudeen told Daily FT that it was very unfortunate that a Court case filed by certain parties halted the distribution of houses to tsunami victims. However the Minister said that on his initiative, the Government is making arrangements now to distribute the houses to the tsunami victims. 

He pointed out that the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) would clear up the area of the housing complex before the houses were given. 

At present, the abandoned housing complex is overgrown with weeds, trees and bushes. The Minister also stressed that Saudi Arabia has been with Sri Lanka through good and bad times. 

“We are very thankful to the Saudi Government which has not only brought the Islamic world together but also has been working well to help non-Muslim countries like Sri Lanka to develop their own infrastructure facilities,” he noted.Muslim Council of Sri Lanka President N.M. Amin described it as an unfair move to delay the distribution of houses to deserving people who had lost assets as well as human lives in this tragedy some 14 years ago.

The construction of 500 housing units is part of the agreement signed between Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka to provide decent shelter to the tsunami victims who suffered severe losses in the tragedy.

Following the disaster in 2004, the Saudi Red Crescent donated a fleet of 15 ambulances and sent a large consignment of medicines and medical equipment to the hospitals in the tsunami-affected areas.