Support Indy
Media

Popularise CC

Join News Letter

Read CC In Your
Own Language

CC Malayalam

Mumbai Terror

Financial Crisis

Iraq

Peak Oil

Alternative Energy

Climate Change

US Imperialism

US Elections

Palestine

Latin America

Communalism

Gender/Feminism

Dalit

Globalisation

Humanrights

Economy

India-pakistan

Kashmir

Environment

Book Review

Gujarat Pogrom

WSF

Arts/Culture

India Elections

Archives

Links

Submission Policy

About CC

Disclaimer

Fair Use Notice

Contact Us

Subscribe To Our
News Letter

Name: E-mail:

Printer Friendly Version

Sri Lanka: Victory Will Be Hollow Without
Constitutional Reforms

By Charu Lata Hogg

22 April, 2009
The Independent

Cornered in a shrinking conflict zone in the north-east of the country, with little access to food, water or medicine since the beginning of this year, nearly 100,000 civilians have been the worst casualty of this fighting, which promises to reach its bloody denouement soon. Tamil civilians have paid a heavy price for their conflict, and their misery has largely been ignored.

Sure, the UN has issued strong statements and concerned governments have routinely expressed their outrage. But the response of the international community so far has lacked collective will.

With both the government and the Tamil Tigers violating the rules of war, an urgent and combined response is vital. The UN Security Council needs to act urgently to protect civilians; influential countries – such as Sri Lanka's largest bilateral donor, Japan, and neighbouring India – need to put pressure on a government heady with military success.

The end of the organised LTTE does not guarantee the end of terrorism in Sri Lanka, as continuing militant strikes suggest.

And the process brokered by Norway that led to a ceasefire agreement in 2002 seems truly dead. Only a new process, built on different foundations, has any chance of bringing sustainable peace. For now, President Mahinda Rajapakse's attempts at a negotiated settlement with the minority Tamil community have been dismissed by even the moderate Tamil leadership. The Sri Lankan government's "liberation" of the eastern provinces – a model they seek to replicate for the north – does not inspire confidence.

Daily killings, extortion and disappearances are a fact of life in the restive Batticaloa district. The government still has not devolved power to the Eastern Province, as promised in 1987 in response to demands for regional autonomy. After decades of brutal conflict, the government's desperate bid for the end game is understandable. But justice and pragmatism require a package of constitutional reforms that will offer Tamils real rights and an effective share in power. Until that happens, victory in the battlefield will remain hollow; an aggrieved minority at home and an embittered diaspora abroad will ensure that peace remains elusive in Sri Lanka.

Charu Lata Hogg is an Associate Fellow in Chatham House's Asia Programme

©independent.co.uk



Leave A Comment
&
Share Your Insights

Comment Policy

Fair Use Notice


 

Share This Article



Here is a unique chance to help this article to be read by thousands of people more. You just share it on your favourite social networking site. You can also email the article from here.



Disclaimer

 

Feed Burner
URL

Twitter

Face Book

Support Indy
Media

 

Search Our Archive

 



Our Site

Web