Government chooses Iranaitivu island to bury Covid-dead

Glocal
By Editor_1
0
By P. K. Balachandran

COLOMBO – The Sri Lankan government has chosen Iranaitivu, an island off the North West Sri Lankan coast, as the sole place to bury the Covid-dead, if their families want burial instead of cremation.

Sri Lanka last week issued a gazette notification permitting burial as well and cremation of Covid-dead, but did not allow burial as specifics, especially location,  had not been worked out.

Cabinet spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella announced on Tuesday (2),  the experts committee on the disposal of the Covid-dead had decided on Iranaitivu on public health grounds, denying any political reasons for the way off location.

Earlier, there was speculation about the government scouting all over Sri Lanka for places suitable as graveyards for the Covid-dead. The speculation raised questions as to whether the Sinhalese communities living in close proximity to the graveyards-to-be would allow COVID-19 bodies to be interred in their habitat. This was because the government had been saying for a year that burial of the Covid-dead could contaminate ground water.

Rambukwella said there would be only one burial ground for the Covid- dead and that would be in the Iranaitivu island. Asked about the difficulties the resident population (about 400 families of Tamil fisher folk) would face if the water was contaminated, he said that water might be brought from outside as the groundwater might be salty and not potable anyway.

Asked who would bear the expense for carrying bodies from different parts of Sri Lanka to Iranaitivu, located off the northern most Sri Lankan coastline, Rambukwella said all expenses would be borne by the government.

Iranaitivu, which means ‘the twin island’ is made up of two linked islands – Periyathivu and Sinnathivu – in the north and south. It lies in the Gulf of Mannaris in northwest Sri Lanka and is part of the Kilinochchi district in the Northern Province.

The island has historically been inhabited by mostly Catholic Tamil fisher families. There are Catholic churches on both islands – Our Lady of Rosary on Periativu and St. Sebastian’s on Sinnativu.

During the 30-year separatist war, the islands saw military conflict and have been under naval occupation since 1992. But it was from these  islands that on September 29, 1998, a civilian Lionair Flight 602 was shot down by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) with a SAM missile.

The island was de-populated during the war and the inhabitants (about 400 families) were allowed to return only in April 2018.

By February 2019, the navy had rebuilt the church on Periyativu, constructed a jetty and paths, and provided water. Solar-powered batteries to recharge mobile phones were donated, and residents had begun restoring wells.

But still there is a lack of power and inadequate drinking water. Many residents live on the island only part of the week.

The navy retains nine acres of land on which it continues to operate a base, to control illegal fishing by Indians, and drug smuggling.

It is not clear if the residents will allow the burial of the COVID-19 dead in their midst in the context that in other parts of Sri Lanka resistance was expected due to government propaganda about the dangers the Covid-dead bodies could pose to public health.

-ENCL

Editor_1
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