A passenger ship sails every other day between Jaffna and Trincomalee, carrying people leaving the peninsula  for other parts of the country and those returning to Jaffna. It is the only mass transit route currently available to them as an alternative to the A-9 highway.  They said that they are satisfied with this arrangement to meet their essential movements in and out of the peninsula.

The ship is operated by a private sector company and each passenger is charged a fare of Rs.2,750/-. The traveling time is approximately 12 hours.

A team of officials from SCOPP this week visited Trincomalee. At the Ashroff jetty there the team looked into the transport facilities available to those traveling between Jaffna and Trincomalee.  The trip was part of measures aimed at coordinating the development activities being undertaken in the Trincomalee district.

Those wishing to travel by ship from Jaffna are required to first register their names with the navy, providing the relevant details.  Each passenger is allowed to carry 30 kilograms of baggage. 400 people are gathered for each trip.

The SCOPP officials were able to mingle with the passengers on their way to Jaffna and talk to the navy personnel in attendance.  Checking of baggage and other formalities were carried out in a friendly manner with the navy personnel speaking to the passengers in Tamil.

There was a passenger who identified herself as Mrs. Vijayakumar attached to a State bank in Jaffna. She was returning after visiting Colombo with regard to some matter connected with her son’s scholarship.  She was carrying a parcel of drumsticks (murunga) and potatoes. “Murunga and potatoes are an important part of our diet” she explained. “These items are expensive in Jaffna, so I bought two kilograms of each in Colombo”. She said that Jaffna is famous for its succulent Murunga, it is off season now and the prices are very high. Mrs. Vijayakumar said that she was able to visit Colombo without any hindrance and was able to stay with relatives at Wellawatte.

The baggage counter is the only place where the passengers have to spend some time. It takes a few hours to check the baggage and, being aware of the security needs, the passengers do not complain.  Here we met Mr. Kanapathipillai, a farmer from Nallur. He said that it was a good thing that the baggage is checked even though it was not an easy task to check the baggage of 400 people. “We are tired of this war” he said and wanted peace to be restored to them soon.

The passenger fare is high but it did not seem to retard the movement of people.  We also met Ms Annalechchumi who was returning home after cancer treatment at the Maharagama Cancer hospital. 

The lower deck of the ship has air conditioned accommodation with comfortable reclining chairs.  The upper deck has plastic chairs.  Those prone to seasickness sit close to the side with the windows open.

The ship is captained by a Sinhalese from Homagama with experience gained in the Middle East. He said “The journey is a challenging one since anything is possible in the deep sea.  I am Sinhalese but more than the remuneration, I get a feeling of satisfaction helping these people.”

We met four Muslim youth including Mohamed Faiz of Kurunegala.  They sell fancy goods and on this trip they are carrying the goods bought in Colombo to be sold in Jaffna. Faiz said that since 1990 there are no Muslim residents living in Jaffna but there are three mosques in the town area.  They stay in these mosques when visiting Jaffna on business.  When asked whether they earned sufficient returns on their investment, they replied that they were used to this trip and their placed their hope first in God and then in the navy.

There were a few complaints about toilet facilities in the ship. The SCOPP team took up this matter with the Navy and immediate measures were taken to rectify the shortcomings before the ship set sail. Representations were also made to the SCOPP team with regard to a shortage of food in the canteen and the ship operators have promised to look into this issue. 

A few weeks ago a woman had given birth while traveling in the ship. The captain normally checks for the presence of a doctor on board and on this occasion he had a medical student with whose help the baby was safely delivered.

The presence of a doctor on board and the distribution of tablets to prevent seasickness among passengers not used to sea travel were broached by the SCOPP team during a meeting with the Operations Manager, Mr. Ramesh at the office of the Management Company. The deployment of an additional ship was also brought up at this meeting.  Mr. Ramesh has promised to take up these matters with the authorities concerned as soon as possible.

The passengers told the SCOPP team that they are satisfied with the travel arrangements and the manner in which the security personnel treated them.

The passengers reaching Jaffna are greeted by the army personnel who host them to tea and then send them off in buses. Even though this appears a routine activity, looking deeper into the eyes of the people, we can see the yearning for peace and normalcy.