http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2012/11/11/fea02.asp
Sri Lanka looks ahead to winning the peace - Part 1
Peace will not come from the mere absence of war. Peace will not come while not addressing hunger, deprivation, marginalisation and inequality. Peace will not come from testimony provided to truth commissions or by simply punishing the wicked for past misdeeds.
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Peace will dawn, when forgiveness spreads its gentle embrace to the fearful. When we treat those who harmed us with dignity and ensure an existence of contentment, equality and opportunity; Then peace will breathe freely. This is what we are seeking to achieve in Sri Lanka.
After 27 years, Sri Lanka’s terrorism problem ended suddenly and comprehensively on May 18, 2009. The violence ended and, since then, not a single suicide bomb has been exploded or a gun fired in ethnic violence. This is after 236 suicide bombs had claimed the lives of thousands of civilians and maimed many more. The terrorist group, the Tamil Tigers, described by the FBI as the most ruthless and deadly terrorists in the world, was defeated militarily following a carefully managed military campaign by the Security Forces.
Sri Lanka today is a land at peace, perhaps the most peaceful country in South Asia. Since the end of the conflict, the government has launched a massive reconstruction and reconciliation process with a view to restoring the economy of the country and to heal the wounds of conflict - to consolidate the hard-won peace. The unprecedented effort to revive the economy of the whole country – to bring prosperity to all our people, is already beginning to produce results.
Simultaneously, the Government has begun a process of re-establishing and consolidating the democratic institutions and processes throughout the country while a comprehensive reconciliation program has also been launched. It is important to remember that the scars of 27 years will take time to heal, not just three years.
Let us make a brief survey of Sri Lanka’s recent past. Over the years, in fact since 1985, successive governments had attempted to seek a peaceful end to the issue, which some have attributed to ethnic grievances. Repeated efforts, once with the assistance of India, to engage the Tigers (also referred to as the LTTE) in a dialogue failed, as it repeatedly reneged on peace agreements and reverted to large-scale terrorist attacks.
In 1987, India actually sent peacekeepers to Sri Lanka following a peace accord (the Indo-Lanka Accord), and withdrew them after losing over 1,200 lives of their soldiers as the LTTE cadre confronted them militarily. The former Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President Premadasa, were both blown up by LTTE suicide bombers.
In 2002, following another agreement (Ceasefire Agreement concluded with the assistance of Norway), five rounds of abortive negotiations were conducted with the LTTE. In 2006, Government delegations met the LTTE three times, again with the assistance of the Norwegians, who were the peace facilitators. I myself led a delegation to Oslo for talks. The President pledged in public, to meet the LTTE leader anywhere to discuss peace, but was rebuffed.
Over-confidence
Over-confident of its invincibility, a view that was shared by many Western Missions in Colombo and the leader of the Scandinavian peace monitoring mission, and, well funded from overseas, the LTTE continued its campaign of horrendous violence and terrorism all over the country, including in Colombo, exacting a heavy toll on civilian lives, property and the economy.
Thousands of civilians were killed or maimed in terrorist violence and the opportunity cost to the country was estimated at over $ 200 billion.
Thousands of children lost their childhood as they were recruited as child combatants by the LTTE; over 21,000 according to Human Rights Watch (HRW) and over 5,700 according to UNICEF. The overseas funds which were critical to the LTTE were collected from the Tamil expatriate community living in the West through voluntary contributions or were exacted through intimidation.
This was well documented by HRW. Many fund-raisers have been prosecuted and jailed in Western countries for illegal activity, including in the USA.
The need to care for the civilian population was acknowledged, even during the height of the conflict, as successive Governments, setting the tone for post conflict reconciliation, ensured a continuous supply of essential goods and services, such as free healthcare and education, to the Tamil civilians in the North and the East under the control of the LTTE.
For over 27 years, despite all the economic and logistical difficulties, Sri Lanka sent food and medical supplies to the North. Towards the final stages of the was against terrorism, such food and medical supplies were monitored by the Committee to Coordinate Humanitarian Affairs which had representatives from major embassies and UN agencies in Colombo.
All the schools, hospitals and clinics in LTTE controlled areas were funded and staffed by the Government in Colombo. In addition to the various NGOs, and the bilateral aid donors that operated in LTTE-controlled territory, the ICRC even had access to the LTTE’s final beachhead almost till the very end of the battle. The LTTE had also developed a cozy relationship with bilateral aid donors and NGOs.
The end of terrorism, which came suddenly, presented the Government with a range of tough challenges.
* The first and foremost was the need to restore the economy of the former affected areas. After years of conflict and LTTE control, the economy of the area was in ruins. Economic recovery was going to be fundamental to the reconciliation process.
* Secondly, but in parallel, the Government was determined to re-establish democratic institutions and conduct democratic elections which the rest of the country took for granted. Democracy would provide all Sri Lankans with the opportunity to address their grievances through dialogue.
* Thirdly, also in parallel, a reconciliation process designed to heal the wounds of a 27-year conflict was required. This would be a difficult goal, but every effort would be made to realise this.
Economic Revival
Under the first heading, the immediate priority was to deal with over 296,000 displaced persons. As the battle reached a conclusion, thousands of men, women and children had been rounded up as a human shield and as a bargaining chip by the LTTE. They were forced to abandon their homes, fields and businesses.
These people began pouring into Government-controlled areas as the battle came to an end. Housing them, feeding them, providing healthcare and providing schooling for the children was an immediate priority.
Resettling them in their own villages and towns was the next challenge. The Government had the foresight to prepare orderly villages in advance to accommodate them. A number much higher than anticipated poured into them. Many in the international community and NGOs which had mysteriously demanded a ceasefire as the Tamil Tigers were falling on their knees, now raised absurd concerns of permanent concentration camps, hunger, disease and epidemics.
Despite all the reservations expressed at the time, especially by the NGO community and the UNHCR, there was no starvation, no disease and no permanancy to the villages. By June 2009, just a little more than a month after the conflict ended, the crude mortality rate in these villages was the same as elsewhere in Sri Lanka.
The Government established kitchens, medical facilities, proper toilets and bathing facilities in these areas. One even had banking and postal agencies. The UN gave its stamp of approval to these facilities. The Government also worked to a tight deadline to return them to their own towns and villages as this was the humane thing to do and because it was important to ensure their speedy reincorporation to the economy. The vast majority of the displaced were successfully returned to their villages and towns, in less than three years under the supervision of the UNHCR.
The UNHCR was the final authority to approve the conditions of return. An unprecedented achievement by any standard, and at enormous cost. The cost of providing food alone to the displaced people in the villages was in excess of one million US dollars a day. The UN, bilateral donors and NGOs played a helpful role. Today, all the original 296,000 displaced people have returned to their towns and villages. Not necessarily to luxurious houses, but to places which they can call home.
Much remains to be done. In any event, for years their villages under LTTE control were deprived of basic necessities as essential supplies were diverted to support the military effort by the LTTE. India has agreed to assist with the reconstruction of 43,000 houses.
Returning the displaced to their own villages required a parallel effort to be undertaken to defuse thousands of mines indiscriminately laid by the LTTE, and a large quantity of unexploded devices. Over 5,000 square kilometres required de-mining. Today, over 1,953 sq.km. of this land around human settlements has been de-mined, largely as a result of the efforts of the Sri Lankan Army. De-mining was an essential prerequisite before the inhabitants could be returned under UNHCR supervision. More land, especially in jungle areas, remain to be de-mined.
The Government’s effort to return the displaced to their homes has been comprehensive, and has included the restoration of services. Over 1,000 schools which had been abandoned or damaged during the conflict, and, all the hospitals and clinics have been restored. Now they are fully functional and are run by civilian administrators. Children are provided with free books, uniforms and mid-day meals. Hundreds of miles of roads have been paved and power lines have been restored.
Agriculture, fisheries
The railway line linking the North to the South, which was destroyed by the LTTE, is being restored and will be completed in 2013. Electricity has been connected to certain villages for the first time ever. The economic revival is in full swing in the North.
Agricultural and fisheries production in the former LTTE- controlled areas has continued to surge. Irrigation canals have been restored. Over 200,000 acres of rice, vegetable and fruit, which had previously been neglected have come under the plough. With the removal of all restrictions on fishermen, an additional 87,000 tons of fish from the North and the East are now added to the market monthly, constituting 15 percent of the national catch.
Around 48,000 persons are employed in fisheries related activity. Produce from the North is finding a ready market in the South.
Banks have continued to expand their operations in the North. The Government has committed over $ 2.8 billion to the development of the North. Bilateral and multilateral donors have committed US$ 2.4 billion. The IMF, confident of Sri Lanka’s recovery, made available a $ 2.6 billion stand-by loan in 2009.
The results are readily visible. New roads, electricity, water, revived villages and towns and an economically active people. Consequently, there has been a surge in the economy of the North by around 27 percent in 2011 compared to the national average of only around eight percent.
Thousands of people have begun to travel from the North to the South and vice versa. Today there are no restrictions on travel to any part of the country. 51,400 foreign passport holders, mainly Sri Lankans of Tamil origin, have travelled to the North since July 2011.
In the past, economic marginalisation was considered a key factor that contributed to minority disenchantment. There was a tendency among the political class to focus on the capital, Colombo, and its hinterland to the exclusion of the distant parts of the country. The Government is now clearly determined not to let this happen again.
A remarkable level of confidence has returned to the country contributing to the reconstruction effort. This is particularly evident in the business community and the revival of business confidence has been largely independent of government involvement.
The Government for its part, has firmly encouraged these economic trends. The national economy has continued to grow (8.2 percent in 2011). Exports expanded by 32 percent between 2008 and 2011 and included key agricultural products. The industrial sector grew by 10.3 percent from 2011 to 2012 and garments occupy a significant share of exports. Unemployment is at a record low. Inflation and interest rates could be a problem to watch out for. The record upward movement in the stock market in the first two years after the conflict and the steady inward flow of foreign investments, exceeding US$ 1.06 billion, reflect business confidence.
Foreign direct investment is expected to exceed US$ 1.75 billion in 2012. Inward tourism has rebounded by over 50 percent since January 2010 and reached 856,000 in 2012. The World Bank has reported that in the year ending June 2012, Sri Lanka implemented the most regulatory reforms in South Asia. Bilateral trade with the US stood at around US$ 2.4 billion in 2011 with the US taking over 22 percent of Sri Lanka’s exports. US investors are the largest component in Sri Lanka’s bond market. Considerable interest has been shown by foreign investors, including large hotel chains. Shangri-La has committed to invest over US$ 500 million in new hotels in Sri Lanka.
Political Revival
The restoration of the normal political processes and, in particular, democracy and the people’s right to select their new leaders has been central to the Government’s efforts to return the country to normality. All the while that the North and parts of the East were dominated by the LTTE, the rest of the country continued to enjoy democracy. Elections were held regularly and governments were elected and changed. The North remained under the iron grip of the LTTE and under one leader for almost two decades. The restoration of democracy in the North and the East has revived political activity and opened up space for pluralistic politics in the areas formerly controlled by the Tigers.
It is hoped that this process will throw up leaders through a democratic process who will represent their communities. It is to be remembered that the dearth of leaders in the Tamil community is directly attributable to the LTTE which systematically killed all aspiring leaders who posed a challenge to the LTTE. The Tamil National Alliance won a considerable number of seats in the North at the last Local Government elections.
For its part, the Government has continued to enlarge its support base, winning a series of elections emphatically. President Mahinda Rajapaksa was re-elected with over 58 percent of the ballots cast in 2011. In fact, no government in Sri Lanka has enjoyed so much popular support after seven years in office. The governing coalition won close to two thirds of the seats in Parliament at the elections held in April 2010. Now it controls over two thirds of the seats in Parliament as a result of defections from the Opposition.
The governing party is not an ethnic monolith. It contains representatives from all ethnic groups in the country, including Muslims and Tamils. There is very little doubt that the vast majority of the people in the country, from the various ethnic groups, are solidly behind the Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and its policies. It is a mandate that is difficult to ignore and one which has been achieved on the basis of consistent policies.
Provincial Council elections have been held in eight provinces. Three Provincial Council elections were held in September 2012. Local Government elections have been held throughout the country.
The Government has won majorities in all the Provincial Council elections. This was particularly significant in the Eastern Province, where the three ethnic groups are distributed in roughly equal proportion. To secure a majority, it had to count on the minorities as well. The administration of the Eastern Province consists of a coalition between the governing party and the Muslim party and a Muslim is the Chief Minister now.
Nobody believes that there is a magic political solution to the concerns of our minorities. There is a demand for the devolution of more powers to the provinces. External pressure has been exerted on the Government to take a more proactive lead in addressing political grievances. Political solutions have to evolve. They must be able to gather the support of all elements of the body politic. Enforcement of political solutions devised outside, or which respond to external pressures, may not work in our context.
Excerpts of a speech made by Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dr. Palitha Kohona at the Utah Valley University International Relations Class.
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