One country, two nations

Image courtesy: The Economist

Banyan | The Economist
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They look more like desperate refugees than the pampered vanguard of an organised mass colonisation. But that is how most local Tamils view the 600-odd ethnic Sinhalese who pitched up at the derelict railway station in the northern Sri Lankan town of Jaffna last month. As the new arrivals saw it, they were moving back home after a stay in the south. Now resettled in the crudest of tarpaulin shelters at Navatkuli, just outside town, crowded onto scrubby land shaded by a few coconut palms, they complain of joblessness and worry about the approaching rainy season. But they insist they are here to stay.

The locals’ suspicions suggest the government’s triumph last year over Velupillai Prabhakaran and his Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, ending their 26-year fight for a Tamil “homeland”, is in one sense incomplete. Most Tamils, many of whom loathed and feared the brutal Tigers, feel it as a defeat. National reconciliation still seems more a rhetorical ideal than a government policy.

In the south, among the largely Buddhist Sinhalese majority, Mahinda Rajapaksa, inaugurated for his second presidential term on November 19th, is monarch of all he surveys (and he does little to discourage intimations of royalty). Wildly popular for ending the war, he has sanctioned an epic personality cult. With three brothers, a son and a nephew in leading political roles, his family controls almost all levers of power. His only rival in popular esteem—Sarath Fonseka, his former army chief and then a challenger for the presidency in January—is in jail. Journalists admit to censoring themselves out of fear. A state of emergency is still in force, though Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the brother who runs the defence ministry, says it will be lifted in two or three months. The government has amended the constitution to get rid of term-limits and other tiresome checks on presidential power.

In Tamil-dominated Jaffna, however, presidential portraits, plastered all over the south for the inauguration, are scarce. Local politicians see their people as marginalised. They discount the president’s vague promises of a serious devolution of power. They note how he qualified that pledge in a recent interview: the Tamil parties must “realise that what we refused to give Prabhakaran, we won’t give to others.”

Tamil politicians believe the government intends to curb Tamil nationalism through intense security and population transfer. Hence their reaction to the arrival of 183 families from the south. These Sinhalese say they fled ethnic violence in Jaffna at the start of the war in 1983, and were dispersed in various southern districts. They were never fully accepted there, they say, being seen as quasi-Tamils. But they kept in touch with each other all these years. At least half had been born since 1983, and had never set foot in the north. But when they heard that Jaffna was now peaceful, they arranged a fleet of buses and came back together.

It is hard to believe that they did so entirely spontaneously. But to extrapolate from there to a full-scale colonisation plan, as so many Tamils do, reveals an enormous distrust of the government. So does speculation that the army intends to establish permanent cantonments throughout the north, moving military families to the area to join the soldiers. Despite the outbreak of peace, this week’s government budget awarded the biggest outlay to defence. Gotabaya Rajapaksa argues that, having tripled the size of the armed forces to win the war, he cannot “send those people home”, where they would have nothing to do.

The mutual distrust is an inevitable legacy of the civil war and the slaughter in which it ended last year. It is made worse by official secrecy. The government rejected an international inquiry into alleged war crimes by both sides. The “Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission” it appointed instead has heard some valuable testimony. But, boycotted by leading international and domestic NGOs, it lacks credibility. The camps where 330,000 displaced people were interned after the war were closed to most outside scrutiny. This week the International Committee of the Red Cross announced that it had been told to close its offices in Jaffna and Vavuniya, near the biggest camps. It is still rare for foreign journalists to be allowed to visit the north.

Even government critics, however, concede that peace is better than war. And some of the worst of the scare stories about the government’s intentions have proved unfounded. It was accused of planning to intern Tamils in the camps indefinitely. But over 300,000 have already left. Many have yet to rebuild their lives. Ashok, a 38-year-old Hindu priest (most Tamils are Hindus and resent the Buddhist pagodas sprouting in the north for the army’s use), is used to being shunted around. He was first displaced in 1990, from Palali, near Jaffna, one of the much-resented “high-security zones”, from which civilians were evacuated.

After such knowledge, what forgiveness?

Ashok then lived in Tiger-controlled Jaffna until 1995, when he retreated with them to a stronghold elsewhere in the north. In 2009 he had to abandon another home in the flight to the Tigers’ final redoubt. He was one of the tens of thousands to escape from there in the war’s last days, and then spent seven months in a camp. Being a priest spared him from suspicions of being a full-fledged Tiger. Back in Jaffna, he hopes to go back to Palali one day.

Such life stories help explain why reconciliation is difficult. The failure even to attempt it, however, is “inviting another terrorist movement”, in the words of a politician representing Sri Lanka’s Muslims, another aggrieved minority. So thorough was the army’s victory that the risks of that seem tiny for now. And both India, in Kashmir, and China, in Tibet, have shown in their different ways that it is possible to keep a resentful local population in check for decades. But Sri Lanka’s optimists hoped the end of the war might herald a future so much brighter than that.

© The Economist

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Sri Lanka: ‘Cormorant Strike’ in full swing

By Dharma Sri Abeyratne | Daily News
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A joint Army, Navy and Air Force exercise code-named ‘Cormorant Strike’ is being carried out in Silawatura, Mannar at present. Around 2,500 Security Forces personnel are taking part in the exercise.

In addition 40 naval and aircraft including the Shakthi naval vessel, Kfir aircraft, MI 24 helicopters, Y12 and MI 17 participated in the Cormorant Strike. Security forces personnel from the commando regiment and Special Forces directly are involved in ground battle. They were brought to the land from the Shakthi ship by Navy vessels. This amphibious landing was jointly coordinated by senior security officials in the Tri-Forces. Besides commando troops landed with the support of helicopters. “This exercise commenced a few days ago. During that period troops have already been deployed for the preliminary operations and main operation. These troops will gain all the territories that have been designed as an enemy area,” Military spokesman Major General Ubaya Medawala said. Through this exercise different levels of command will be exercised in command ability, decision making ability, and how they evolve different plans to match the concept already evaluated and need to put into practice.

Through this exercise the gained pluses as well as shortcomings will be taken into consideration, he added.

This is the first time in the history of Sri Lankan Security Forces that such a joint exercise is held. Military exercises are to be conducted regularly to gauge and assess military effectiveness of any army or armed forces, Major General Ubaya Medawala said.

The Military Spokesman said so addressing media yesterday in Silawatura, Mannar.

© Daily News

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Sri Lanka Army holds leader of protestors under house arrest

Tamil Net
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More than ten Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers arriving Thursday around 11:00 a.m at the house of the President of Oottuppulam Rural Development Society (RDS), who led the protest demonstration Wednesday demanding the cancellation of the sudden transfer of Karaichchi Divisional Secretary on the instructions of SLA authorities, continue to hold him under house arrest surrounding his house, sources in Ki’linochchi said. The president who is held under house arrest was to lead a hunger strike in front of Ki’linochchi Government Agent’s office Thursday along with nine other RDS presidents and a large number of civilians until the transfer order issued to the Divisional Secretary was cancelled.

Meanwhile, SLA officials in Ira’naimadu base had summoned Thursday morning the Presidents of nine RDSs in Karaichchi Division who were to join in the hunger strike and threatened them not to participate in any kind of demonstration warning that the failure to comply would lead to drastic consequences to them, the sources said.

The RDS President held under house arrest by SLA is Cinnaiah, 68.

Two men suspected to be SLA soldiers forcibly entering Cinnaiah’s house Wednesday night had attacked the occupants, the sources further said.

Ms. Sivakumar had instructed SLA to vacate the lands of the local people which the SLA authorities had claimed as government property. The said lands had been issued to their owners by the government in 1994 and the owners have the documents to establish their ownership.

The SLA officials angered by the action of the Divisional Secretary had had her transferred out within two hours after she instructed the SLA to vacate the said lands.

Welfare associations and public organizations in Karaichchi in Ki’linochchi district had gathered in protest Wednesday morning in front of Ki’linochchi Government Agent’s office demanding immediate cancellation of the sudden transfer of Karaichchi Divisional Secretary, Ms. Sivakumar, issued on the instructions of local SLA officials.

© Tamil Net

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Sri Lanka court denies bail to student union leader

Colombo Page
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A Sri Lankan court today ordered to further remand a student union leader who was arrested by the police last month for forcibly entering the Higher Education Ministry premises and damaging government property.

The Colombo High Court Judge Deepali Wijesundara today ordered to remand the Convener of the Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) Udul Premaratne till December 10th when the bail application was heard.

Cinnamon Gardens Police has submitted a report to the Court saying that two more suspects over the incident are yet to be arrested and requested the Court to hold Premaratne in remand custody until those suspects are nabbed.

Premaratne was arrested last month for allegedly breaking into the Higher Education Ministry premises and causing damage to public property during a protest.

© Colombo Page

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Nepal refutes Sri Lankan president's mediator claims

Utpal Parashar | Hindustan Times
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Nepal has refuted claims made by a Sri Lankan minister that it had sought the island nation's help to diffuse the ongoing political crisis in the Himalyan nation. Sri Lankan external affairs minister GL Peiris had stated in parliament on Wednesday that Nepal President Ram Baran Yadav had sought his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa's help.

He said that the request was made when both the presidents had met last month in China on sidelines of the Shanghai Expo.

"It is a baseless claim. No such request was made by the President during his meeting with the Sri Lankan President," Rajendra Dahal, press advisor to President Ram Baran Yadav told HT.

He added that the Nepali embassy in Sri Lanka has also issued a statement terming the claim as unsubstantiated.

The fresh development comes amid growing resentment in Nepal against India's alleged interference in the deadlocked prime ministerial poll.

Despite 16 rounds of voting since Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal's resignation in June, Nepal has failed to find a replacement.

Difference among parties over who should head the next government is the main reason for the impasse.

Maoist party chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal who withdrew from the contest after seven failed attempts has accused India of sabotaging his chances at regaining the post he quit in May last year.

The delay in electing a new prime minister has also affected the peace process and drafting of the country's new constitution.

Integration of former Maoist combatants into Nepal's army is another area of dispute that has brought the four year old peace process to a near halt.

In July this year Rajapaksa has visited Male to mediate in the crisis between the Maldives President and the opposition controlled parliament.

"President Rajapaksa is now being accepted not only as the leader of Sri Lanka but as a regional leader too," Peiris was quoted by Sri Lankan media.

The minister's statement was widely reported in the island's media as reflection of Rajapaksa’s growing stature both within Sri Lanka and outside.

© Hindustan Times

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Indian FM in Sri Lanka amid growing Chinese influence

Agence France Presse
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Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna was due in Sri Lanka Thursday to shore up bilateral relations amid growing Chinese influence on the island.

Krishna is due to call on President Mahinda Rajapakse and also open two Indian consulates in the southern and northernmost parts of the island before leaving on Sunday, the Sri Lankan foreign ministry said.

The Indian minister will travel to the southern town of Hambantota on Friday to open an Indian Consulate General office, eight days after the government launched the first stage of a 1.5-billion-dollar Chinese-funded port there.

New Delhi is believed to be concerned that Hambantota is part of a Chinese policy to throw a "string of pearls" geographical circle of influence around India.

China is also developing port facilities in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan, and has plans for rail projects in Nepal and Sri Lanka.

A diplomatic source said India was keen to speed up some of its own port, power and railway projects in the island which is emerging after 37 years of ethnic conflict following the defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels in May last year.

Krishna is also expected to travel to the island's northern tip of Jaffna to open another consulate in an area where Tamil Tiger rebels once ran a de facto state between 1990 and 1995.

The minister will hold bilateral meetings with, among others, his counterpart G. L. Peiris as part of India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission, the Sri Lankan foreign ministry said in a statement.

"This will provide the two countries an opportunity to review the growing ties between Sri Lanka and India; monitor implementation of bilateral understandings and further enhance the bilateral relations," the ministry said.

It said the two sides will follow up on the understandings reached during Rajapakse's visit to New Delhi in June when Indian nudged the island to move towards national reconciliation after crushing Tamil rebels last year.

India, which has some 62 million Tamils in its southern Tamil Nadu state, wields considerable diplomatic influence over Colombo and has been urging the Sinhalese-majority government to share power with minority Tamils.

© AFP

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Sri Lankan police send 'mass grave' ashes for forensic testing

ANI | Sify News
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Sri Lankan police have reportedly sent 24 bags full of ashes for forensic testing from a suspected mass grave of government troops in the north-eastern parts bordering Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts.

The BBC quoted officials as saying that jailed Tamil Tiger rebels had admitted that the grave contained the remains of 26 troops, including eight soldiers and 18 navy personnel, they had captured and shot dead in January 2009.

According to police, a small amount of human bones had been found at the site.

Police spokesman Prishantha Jayakody said that in addition a "powdery substance," suspected to be human ashes, was also found and sent for forensic testing.

A team of legal and medical officers and a government analyst have been sent to the site, the report said.

Sri Lanka's long civil war ended in May 2009 with the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Both the government troops and the LTTE were accused of violating human rights during the final days and international human rights groups claim that over 30,000 civilians were killed during the final battles last year, it added.

Human rights groups have also accused the two sides of violating human rights, especially in the final months of the war.

© Sify.com

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