At the Alles garden welfare camp.

Alles garden welfare camp.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,991 persons returned to Trincomalee district from India up to December 2004. There are ten welfare camps in Trincomalee district, 2,395 persons are living in welfare camps, and 17,188 persons are living outside the welfare camps in Trincomalee district.

24 years old Yogarajah Janaraj at the Alles garden welfare camp.

49 years old Konnaamalai Tharmarasa at the Alles garden welfare camp.

66 years old farmer Murugesu Kandiah with 8 years old Pathmarajah Yuvadas and 10 years old Sharmila Thambirajah at the Alles garden welfare camp.

66 years old farmer Murugesu Kandiah

“I do not earn a living now, because I am a farmer, and I need a land to cultivate. My land is in Kuchchaveli, and it is occupied by the Sri Lankan armed forces and they are refusing to leave. I am too old to fight back, I want to go back to my land, and die there. But I do not know, whether my dream will become true or not”, says 66 years old Murugesu Kandiah, who was displaced from Pankulam.

66 years old farmer Murugesu Kandiah with his 10 years old grandaughter Sharmila Thambirajah at the Alles garden welfare camp.

44 years old Thangarajah Yagarajah

“If the Sri Lankan armed forces do not leave from our lands, we will not go back to our own places. There had been three years of peace in Sri Lanka, but we are still living in a welfare camp. Our small huts were washed away by tsunami as well. Since we have no place to go, we are living here. How many years can we live like this? The government has to do something sooner than later, otherwise” says 44 years old fisherman Thangarajah Yogarajah, who is staying at the Alles Garden welfare camp in Trincomalee district. He was displaced from Kuchchaveli in Trincomalee district. He went to India with his family in 1985 , returned in 1990 and lived in a welfare camp, went again to India in 2000 and returned to Sri Lanka in early Januray 2004.

44 years old Thangarajah Yogarajah with his 39 years old wife Wimaladevi Yogarajah.

39 years old Wimaladevi Yoagarajah at the Ales garden welfare camp.

44 years old Thangarajah Yagarajah at the Alles garden welfare camp.

Males playing cards in Alles garden welfare camp.

18 years old Udayarani Tharmarasa with her ten months old son Thaatchchan at the Alles garden welfare camp in trincomalee district.

“How can I have private life, because we are sharing our temporary shelter with my parents. Nothing is private for us, everything is public” says 18 years old Udayarani Tharmarasa, who got married and has a ten month old son. She lives at the Alles garden welfare camp.

29 families moved from Alles garden to Saambalthivu to get more relief which goes on the main road. Basically they want the attention of the relief workers going on the main road.

There are 29 families living in Saambalthivu welfare camp, which has not enough basic facilities such as toilets and wells.

At the Saambalthivu welfare camp in Trincomalee district.

At the Saambalthivu welfare camp in Trincomalee district.

At the Saambalthivu welfare camp in Trincomalee district.

Alles garden welfare camp.

School, Alles Garden.

A scene at the Alles garden welfare camp.

Children playing on the swing.

25 years old fisherman Samithamby Suthaharan says that it is very difficult to look after his family. He has two children.

39 years old Dharmalingam Sundaralingam does labourer job to look after his family. He has three children.