“ A silent war continues under a different guise”: says an independent report on Sri Lanka

“Despite the end of the civil war in 2009, a silent war is still raging in the heavily militarized North and East Provinces of Sri Lanka. Discontent bubbles just underneath the surface with lives lost, families missing, livelihoods destroyed, and stolen lands—all worsened by the lack of answers from those in power in Colombo”,  an  independent report which details Human Rights abuses and property seizures in Sri Lanka, says.

“Six years later, a silent war continues under a different guise “the report titled  The Long Shadow of War  published by Oakland Institute concludes.

The report does highlight the promises made  and innitiatives taken by the newly elected government, but it points to the  “old mind-set”  in its strategy to maintain peace and prevent future uprisings.

“The country’s future is fraught with uncertainty. The ability of the new government to deliver on its promises to the international community remains an open question. The determination and willingness of the international community to ensure justice for the minorities in Sri Lanka, especially the Tamils, is also an open question” the report casts it’s doubt over the ability of the Sri Lankan government and the sincerity of the international community to solve the Tamil National Problem.

It paints the deployment of the army elsewhere in the Tamil Homeland not as a solution for   ensuring security, but as a problem for socio-economic development of the Tamil people. As pointed out in the report, continued military occupation is one of the major causes of human rights abuses, violence, land grabs, and livelihood destruction for the Tamil minority.

“The new government’s reluctance to demilitarize the North and the East, and the continued stronghold over power by the Sri Lankan armed forces should be a major concern for the international community, which for now is busy celebrating the new government and its talk of reconciliation” the report further said.

The report in its conclusion highlights the responsibility of the international community to intervene in Sri Lanka for protection purposes.

“To ensure this happens should be the responsibility of the international community—not a political dilemma. The change in government does provide leverage for international intervention and it might have the necessary impact, which was not possible under President Rajapaksa”  it says.

Some excerpts of the report are given bellow:

Thousands of Tamils are still internally displaced and remain without land or livelihoods. For those who have been “resettled” through government schemes, the process has often taken place without voluntary or fully informed settlement choice and without adequate infrastructure in place for rebuilding their lives.

Sri Lanka’s army still occupies “high security zones” in the North and East of the country. In 2014, at least 160,000 soldiers, almost entirely Sinhalese, were estimated to be stationed in the North. With the Northern Province’s population estimated at just over 1 million in 2012, this yields a ratio of one army member for every  six civilians, despite the official end of hostilities six years ago.

This military occupation is not about ensuring security. The army has expanded non-military activities and is engaged in large-scale property development, construction projects, and business ventures such as travel agencies, farming, holiday resorts, restaurants, and innumerable cafes that dot the highways in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. The army officially runs luxury resorts and golf courses that have been erected on land seized from now–internally displaced peoples. Tourists can book holidays in luxury beach resorts by directly calling reservation numbers at the Ministry of Defence. These resorts and businesses are located on lands that were previously home to the local Tamil population, who were displaced by the war. They see no sign of return, despite numerous demands and petitions.

These recent land grabs perpetuate and build upon a decades-long history of marginalization of the Tamil population, which has involved violence, pogroms, repressive laws, and a government-orchestrated colonization of the Northern and Eastern parts of the island nation that used to constitute the Tamils’ homeland. This process has not only stripped Tamil peoples of their culture, land, and livelihoods, but also has significantly altered the demographic makeup of these regions. This systematic repression fuelled the civil war that erupted in 1983, with the Tamil insurrection demanding separation of the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

Over the past six years, the process of Sinhalisation has intensified with an aggressive government-led effort that systematically replaces Tamil culture and history with victory monuments dedicated to Sinhalese hegemony and Buddhist religion on the ruins of the Tamil homeland. The Sinhalisation of the Northern and Eastern Provinces involves the establishment of Sinhala signboards, streets newly renamed in Sinhala, multiple monuments to Sinhala war heroes, war museums, and the construction of Buddhist temples—even in areas where no Buddhists live.

 A process of truth and reconciliation will have little hope of succeeding unless the new government makes decisive and concrete moves around two other paramount human rights issues that have not seen any progress since the end of the war: 1. The first concerns the thousands of people who remain missing since the end of the conflict.  2. The release of political prisoners and of all individuals imprisoned due to the conflict is the primary demand of many of those interviewed in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

Given the government inaction over these critical human rights issues in recent years, international pressure will be critical for any decisive action to take place. Both India and the US have made gestures of geopolitical cooperation since the elections in early 2015 ushered in new leadership. It is feared that these two countries could decide that geopolitical alignment trumps a true and just reconciliation process, and fail to put the necessary pressure on the Sri Lankan government to adequately follow through with its promises.

This is a vital moment for the future of Sri Lanka. The human rights situation in the country will not improve until the culture of impunity is replaced with a culture of responsibility, accountability, and fulfillment of full rights of the Tamil community and all other minorities in the country. Ensuring that this happens should be the responsibility of the international community—not a political dilemma.