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UNISCI Discussion Papers, Nº 33 (Octubre / October 2013) ISSN 1696-2206large numbers of civilians. This allowed the Government to refer only to a terrorist problemand ignore root causes, thus contributing to the continuing political problem receivingless attention. Attitudes began to harden amongst many on both sides of the communaldivide, making it difficult for moderates to push for a just solution through negotiations. 110Successive governments attempted negotiations with representatives of the Tamilpeople, but these broke down for multiple reasons. The LTTE took advantage of suchnegotiations at times in its campaign to establish dominance and decimate all other Tamilgroups and persons advancing a Tamil voice in national politics. These developments led towhat is inevitable in armed conflict, the loss of civilian life on both sides. 111With the defeat of the LTTE in May 2009, the armed conflict came to an end.However, the root causes of the conflict remain and have to be addressed in order to preventthe recurrence of the past in whatever form. Further, the war caused additionalnegative fallouts such as physical destruction of infrastructure, an amplification of socioeconomicdeprivation in the war-torn areas of the country, and loss of life of Tamil civilianscaught up in the final phase of the war. It also led to increased suspicion and resentmentamongst the three main ethnic communities in the country and widened the gap in trustand understanding. 1128. The Sinhala CommunityThe State must not lose sight of the need to allay the fears and anxieties of the Sinhalese who,though a majority, have their own share of concerns, both real and imagined. Many actionsthat discriminated against minorities sprang initially from a widespread perception amongstthe Sinhalese that they had been discriminated against by the British. 113 Assertion of the needfor government to function in the language of the majority, positive discrimination tocompensate for real and perceived educational inequalities, land redistribution to make up forthe expropriation of peasant lands for plantations with the concomitant importation of labourfrom India, all sprang from the need to make up for deprivations imposed by the colonialgovernment. In the process, however, they led to deprivation of the minorities because offailure to explore comprehensively the implications of any actions. Similarly, any solutionmeant to resolve the problems of Tamils and Muslims now must not be at the expense of theSinhalese. That is not only unfair and unjust, but it would make such a solution unsustainablein the long run. 114With regard to specific grievances of Sinhalese in villages adjacent to former conflictareas, the LLRC Commission notes that the Government has tended to overlook those wholived in villages such as Weli Oya, Moneragala and Kebethigollawa, who survived theterror perpetrated by the LTTE. The people in these villages continued to live undertremendous threats to their lives without migrating to safe areas in the South. They faced110 Economist Intelligence Unit releases latest Sri Lanka – Risk Briefing, athttp://www.ft.lk/2013/04/20/economist-intelligence-unit-releases-latest-sri-lanka-risk-briefing/111 Final Report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission Report, Government of Sri Lanka at,slembassyusa.org/downloads/LLRC-REPORT.pdf.112 Economist Intelligence Unit releases latest Sri Lanka – Risk Briefing, athttp://www.ft.lk/2013/04/20/economist-intelligence-unit-releases-latest-sri-lanka-risk-briefing/113 Ibid.114 Final Report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission Report, Government of Sri Lanka, atslembassyusa.org/downloads/LLRC-REPORT.pdf204
UNISCI Discussion Papers, Nº 33 (Octubre / October 2013) ISSN 1696-2206security risks, hardships in education, disrupted and fractured livelihoods, and paucity ofhealthcare and transport facilities. Moreover, the Sinhalese who resided in the EasternProvince faced inadequacies of the administrative system. For instance, Weli Oya iscategorised under a number of districts, a section under the Mullaitivu district, a section underthe Vavuniya district and another under the Trincomalee district. As a result, numerousdifficulties were faced by people in the areas, where administration is carried out in Tamil,whereas people living in Weli Oya are predominantly Sinhalese. 115Communities across Sri Lanka have also suffered immensely as a result of the loss offamily members who served in the armed forces. The severe psychological impact of the waron these communities often goes unacknowledged. 1169. The Tamil CommunityThe perception of discrimination and unequal treatment within the Tamil populationarose from a series of administrative changes, such as discrimination against the use of theTamil language in a context where education was segregated by language. 117 This contributedto deprivation in terms of jobs, which was exacerbated by the State being thepredominant employer in the context of Statist economic policies. Discriminatory policies ineducation and in recruitment to the public services struck hardest at the well-educated Tamilsin the North. The discrimination was seen as arising from the fact that central government andits decision making processes were far removed from the needs and aspirations of theTamil people. 118 The many youth rebellions all over the country testify to the sense ofalienation felt generally by the rural population, but in the North and East this sense wasincreased by the absence of representation at decision-making levels in government. Inaddition, State control of lands and colonization schemes were disproportionately beneficialto the majority community and were perceived by the Tamil communities as intended toeffect demographic changes. 119Although the death and destruction caused by the war and the atrocities of the LTTEaffected all communities, the suffering of the Tamil population in the war zones of the Northand the East, particularly the people in the Vanni, were of an intensity and magnitude that farexceeded that of the population in the rest of the country. 120 The recognition of the specialproblems that have consequently arisen in the North and East must therefore guide and directthe National Policy on Reconciliation, at all times. The deprivations which this section of thepopulation have undergone and the conditions that have been thereby created – the repeated115 Ibid.116 Economist Intelligence Unit releases latest Sri Lanka – Risk Briefing, athttp://www.ft.lk/2013/04/20/economist-intelligence-unit-releases-latest-sri-lanka-risk-briefing/.117 "Final text of TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran’s speech in Parliament opposing the 18th Amendment", athttp://groundviews.org/2010/09/13/final-text-of-tna-mp-m-a-sumanthirans-speech-in-parliament-opposing-the-18th-amendment/; http://tnamediaoffice.blogspot.com/2012/06/speech-by-hon-m-sumanthiran-in.html.118 Final text of TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran’s speech in Parliament opposing the 18th Amendment, athttp://groundviews.org/2010/09/13/final-text-of-tna-mp-m-a-sumanthirans-speech-in-parliament-opposing-the-18th-amendment/; http://tnamediaoffice.blogspot.com/2012/06/speech-by-hon-m-sumanthiran-in.html;119 Final Report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission Report, Government of Sri Lanka, atslembassyusa.org/downloads/LLRC-REPORT.pdf.120 Final text of TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran’s speech in Parliament opposing the 18th Amendment, athttp://groundviews.org/2010/09/13/final-text-of-tna-mp-m-a-sumanthirans-speech-in-parliament-opposing-the-18th-amendment/; http://tnamediaoffice.blogspot.com/2012/06/speech-by-hon-m-sumanthiran-in.html.205
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ISSN 1696-2206 Nº 33 Octubre /Octo
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Juan Emilio CheyreDirector, Center
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UNISCI Discussion Papers, Nº 33 (O
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