Involuntary Displacement and Resettlement — Policy and ... - CEPA

Conflict, Vulnerability and Long-term Displacement:The Case of PuttalamPrashan Thalayasingam 1AbstractThe Making Peace - Keeping Peace study conducted by the Poverty andConflict (PAC) team at CEPA seeks to understand the local conflict dynamicsin Puttalam district. It has a special focus on local institutions, groups andactors and their efforts to resolve conflict and maintain peace over time.One of the key issues that emerged from the study was the relationshipbetween IDPs and members of the host community, and how this sometimesbroke down and the resulting conflict affected others in the district. Theseconflicts seemed to be symptomatic of wider issues about the assistance andother benefits received by long term IDPs and the perception that othervulnerable groups in the district are discriminated against because of theirnon-IDP status. This perceived discrimination is the underlying basis of muchof the social conflict in the district.This paper focuses on the issue of long term IDPs and examines their impacton social relations in the district. It highlights their separateness in terms ofassistance and access to services, and brings in perspectives about othervulnerabilities that also need to be addressed.1Prashan Thalayasingam is the team leader of the Poverty and Conflict Programme at theCentre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA). He obtained his Master’s degree in Development Studiesfrom the University of Sussex. His key interests are in the areas of international organisationsof peace and war, post-conflict reconstruction and development, and post-conflict justice.Prashan has authored and co-authored many publications at CEPA and the latest of them is“Dealing with Demons?: An exploratory study on post conflict justice”.111