Page 1
O ETHNC CONIFILICT:- Urim
Vol. 13 No. 15 December 1, 1990 Price Rs. 7.50
THE SIRI LAN
ls there a
Neville Jayawe Kumar Rupesin Tarzie Vitachcl Periyathamby ) Bradman Weer Nagalingam Sa Desmond Ferná Godfrey Gunat Martin Ennals ° Nadarajah Sha Sunil Bastian Werner Lottje Ninan Koshy
• MANKULAM •SAAF
 
 

illa Phadnjs” last essay O
Registered at the GPO, Sri Lanka, OD/79/NEWS/90
way out 2
ea ghe
hi Rajanayagam akoon Itchithananthan
undo illeke
Inmugaratnam
C O GANDHIS GAME

Page 2
A selected list of
Sri Lanka Mosaic — Enwir comment, m.
and change HWC S/C
Seasonality and Health: A Study o
Elvir (†1 Erst Of ||–S3|t is fiv
by Godfrey Gunati leke, P. D, A. Fernando, Eardley Fernando
A Colonial Administrative System in
by Dr. B. S. Wijeweera
Sepala Ekanayake and Ex Post Fact Hijacking of International Aircrai Sri Lanka Domestic Law incorpo International Law
by Dawid S. Awerb Lick
The Pilgrim Kamanita - A Legendary
by Karl GjellerLIJ
Stries fr the Maa Wamsa
by Lucien de Zoysa
Stories from the Cua Walsa and Ot
Tales by Lucien de Zo'ysa
Conservation Farming - Systems, Te
Tools (For small farmers in the by Ray Wijewardene & Parak rama
Marga
61 || sipathana Colombo 5,

Marga Publications
arl, continuity
15.OO 3OOOO
12.00 250,00
f the socio-economic
C) Casti Ons 1 OOO 185. OO
Perga, Joel
Transition 6.OO 16O.CO
O Legislation: 4.OO SOOO
t
Iä tBS
· Roma CB 1750 225 CO
3,50) ÉSIO, O O
er Historical 3.OO 47.50
chniques and Humid Tropics) .. W5O. 12 O.OO
Waidyathā
Publications
Må Wat h) Si Lanka.

Page 3
TRE W D S
HPT Directors Ordered Bail
Five directors of the collapsed finance company House and Property Trades (HPT) were ordered cash bail in Rs 75,000 and security bail in a million rupees each by the Colombo Fort Magistrate. They face charges relating to alleged failure to comply with Centra Bank dir actives.
Human Rights of Sinhala Buddhists
The A.II Ceylon Buddhist Congress has complained to President Premada sa that the human rights of the Sinhala Buddhists, particularly of those living in the North and East have dwindled along with the security of Buddhist places of worship there.
The ACBC haS told the President that the Governet of of Sri Lanka is not utilising
the powers the Constituti the humam Sinha la B Ludd
Arms: C
Sri Larika wil , iaחChi) וחסfr boats, he de fance and di said. China Lanka's bigge in tha racer ding to these arms are exp or early next
Meanwhile, it teen seater fix hawe already Chiria, increa Liber of Y 1. to rile, Sri likely to acqui A-5 jets ear sources said. built weapons likely to be T8 bat vehicles.
“6ontinue Jyour excellent wo — Жилттаr Rerрч
“The LANKA GUARDIAN has been
for its advocacy and contributed to on the conflict, and its resolution, in With regard to our exchange of lett that the matter is closed and let me express my warm wishes to you an
your excellent work. . ."
– KUMAR RUPES/WGHE, Direc in a letter addressed to the da fed' 26/10/90.
Readers will recall that we published
from the PRIO report (July 1 and July received a telegram on 31st July objecting st publication (1578). We then received a letter Rupes inghe which we published along with our r We are glad that Kumar Rupesinghe has * "close" this Thatter, and wishes Luis to Ecc “excellent work'. In this number, we publis ding chapter of the final PRIO report.

wasted in it by on (to protect)
rights of the hists.
hina MO. TI | bUy more ärms including gun/5/and quoting plomatic Sources has been Sri st arms Supplier it i po 35 t, a C CorSources, Tes acted this month
Year. three Y 12 SixEd Wing aircraft arrived from sing the total 2s (transporters) Lanka is also fe Chinese built ly mext year, Other Climase } expectёсі ага I5 infantry com
ዛ"k. . .”” 2-sing he
Well known the debate Sri Lanka... er 5, I think
Once again d continue
tor, PRIO,
Editor,
WO excerpts i) when we Ongly to the fron Kumar eply (I/9/90). decided to intinue our 1 the conclu
- Editor
Wijeweera's successor
arreStado A top ranking JW Per who is believed to have täkel
over the leadership after the death of Rohana Wije weera Was reported arrested in the Southern province. The army's southern command did not confirm or deny the arrest. According to a report in the Sunday Trias the arī tā that captured Daya Wanniarachchi (41) believed that they had got Somawansa A Therasinghe, the only Surviving Tiember of the JWP politbureau, But they later learnt, it was reported, that Amerasing he was out of the Country,
CRC meet detainees
Detention Camps holding Northern Tamil terrorist susPeCls and Southern Sinhala WP suspects were visited by representatives of the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC). The CRC epresentatives talked to the in mates.
äÜARDIAN
Wol. 13 No. 15 December 1. 19ց[]
Rs. 7.5
Published fortnightly by Länka Guardian Publishing Co.Ltd.
No. 246. Union Place, Colombia - 2.
PFCB
Editor: Mervyn da Siwa Telephone: 447.584
CONTEMITS
News Background LICH LETE
The Region 7 The PRO Report 9 Role of State in Ethnic Conflict
in Sri Lanka (2) 19
Printed by Ananda Press 32/5, Sri Ratinä jothi Sarawanamuuttu Ma Watha, Colombo 13. Tբlմբhւյrig: 43Eg75

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MAAVIKULAM A AVD PRESIDENTS
PRO TRACTED - the battlefiel the battle of id
Mervyn de Silva
ad, very bad ...' said State Defence Minister Ranjan Wijeratne, commenting on the Mankulam battle which
ha 5 been described by the state-owned 'Daily News' as the bloodiest battle in the
separatist war'. Casualties (both sides) would definitely exceed 250..... closer perhaps to 300, said a top official source. The foreign press was informed by LTTE spokesmen overseas that some 50-60 Tigers' had been Iki 11 cd blut the battlcs now in the jungle were not over. He was probably referring to the fact the soldiers who broke out of the beseiged camp were fighting their way southwards to Wawu niya. The latest figures released by the Defence Minis
try are 196 Tigers' killed, and over hundred' army cils Lalties.
The last attacks by the LTTE on a heavily fortified army camp were at Koka vil and Mavididapuram in the peninsula. That camp was one of the military gains of *Operation Janashakti launched by the Northern Commander, Major-General. Dezi 1 Kobbekaduwe. “Hawing liberated' Palaly airport the main strategic objective the army advanced through heavily mined roads and pathways to establish four Cal II ps.
About ten percent' of the peninsula is how General Kobbekaduwa described the 'situation on the ground' i.e., the area under effective army control. For those Sri Lankans who thought (or devoutly hoped) that this was thic beginning of
the total libi. Jaffna peninsul heartland, Gen. We's Temark I: in real estate great disappoin
Bullit (Generill top professional was talking ab
was waiting p Army to off "targets' such LTTE World || troop strength their capacity post, food su
cations, the po support, and re Weather etc., tille and plac attack, Ma widd clearest exampl LTTE tactics” ties faced by IL1 E1 terial, LI rn fan physical cond weather, right
But Mankill from Kokavil Q It's location. large camp b Pass, right up Iliya. In ore that It was defended The LTTE is War - oil both tical and Illil LTTE chased TeTTOT W:A. s i th: LTTE had dec. tical-p Topagand the tactical a Tamil-speaking North-cast had And in sole groups, had b. - politically th

WSIT
WAR d and
SeaS
ration of the 1, the Eelamo tral Kobbeka duin Ilot interested " C:). Il'E : 3 :
11.
Kibbekadill Wo, El I, kiLlew what he out. The LTTE atiently for the er them fixed
as camps. The tlıcı Essess the
in each camp,
to feld the plies, communissibilitics for :lir inforcements, the and then pick e, to launch an apuram Was the e of not merely but the difficulthe army - 11:11, liliar te Train and itions, 5uch als now heavy rain.
m is different" r Mavidida puram. It is the only etween Elephant Ilorth, and VLIvLI1 50 miles south . by some 300 Innen. stepping up the fronts", thic poliita ry. First the nut thic Muslims, 1e weapon The ided that the poliist potential of lial ce. With the Muslims of thic be'e Il exhall1stcd. ways, the Musliil c) Ille al lil bility cit cards Were
too exacting; militarily, the armed anti-LTTE Muslim groups were an "intelligence' asset to the government. By pushing the Muslims out of the north, the LTTE was reinforcing the exclusivist ethnic character of the "homeland', Eela Ill.
And now, the LTTE is seek ing to chase out the (Sinhala) army out of “Eelam” or mak
ing certain that the new War does mot allow the il Trily to establish firm footholds in Eelam". This is its SCCUTld
objective in this protracted War.
Thec army relieved the Jaffna fort, breaking a long, long seige – winning a battle for morale. It quickly abandoned all ideas of keeping the fort and getting stuck in the same groove. The Tigers' marched in triumphantly and hoisted their flag, renamed the Fort in honour of TartyT Thileepan, ... and left. A great In orale-boost for the "Tigers who, like the army, did not wish to seize a building which would the become a target, by alir . H. Drıd Sea, for the alled forces,
Taki Ing and re-taking positjoms, and a bandon ing the se quite soon are all signs of the
fIllid Tai Lu Te of this clash of a Tims minus set-piece bil titles. In 51 rt, bl Illes Where the
political and the psychological are oft In ore significant then the strictly military i.e. numbers killed and Wounded territory taken, weapons captured, physical 'advances'.
(Corrinres (Irl Page 4)

Page 5
iः ।। "
SAARC grows
So: SAARC will go in for some "perestroika of its own. At the meeting in Male, the Maldivian capital (21-23 Nov.) the South Asia. Seven decided LaLLLLS aLHa S LLLL S S LLLHHL S L S LJaLLLLLLL for Such dismally poor progress has been the decision-Illa king progress'. It was from bottom upward to the summit, from experts committees on technical Imatte T s Lind action prog Tilms Lð III listerial level and then to the summit, explained a Senior officiä 1. SAARC I W Willit 5 tr) do it the other way, somewhat like the CCIIII il rol Wealth. The Tcgular heads of State meeting will decide, a Ilid action will follow via each government.
Its approach now is issueoriented, said a top Indian diplomat.
The first problem that has been identified is the 'drug menace" – drug abuse, dTug träfflicking, cross-bordet Ciperatill:15, etc. The Luth is that
afier the . Afghan War, th1e dTLI g trail_fI 0 Ill with ỉm Afghanistan and the Afghan-Pakistan birder has become an important supply sou Tce as the “golden tria Ingle" in South-East Asii. And with drugs, comes the other noneyspinning business, guns. With
so many insurgencies in the region, and cross-border ter Torism, gun-T Linning has also become Big Business', part finally of the global trade
controlled by cartels in the
Americas.
The Male conference gave the two). Lle W. Pri:Time Ministers of the region's major powers, India and Pakistan, an oppottunity for their first 'face-to
facco". It was åt al SAARC mecting that Mr. Gandhi net the newly elected Pakistanti
Pri Ille Mimis Le T... Benazir BhuLtio, å Tid at lica s t fc)T SI T1c II 1 Conths, there was a marked lowering of Indo-Pak tensions. Both Gandhi and Bhutto are no longer in office,
It was the arrival of Mr. W. P. Singh which saw quite a dramatic
up
impre) wcmcnt - two me iքh hւ 1ւյr grievanccs, Nep
FACE TO-FA
Mr. Chald ousted Mr. W. F. tails himself ywri 11 aid pı Gandhi's Cin both Llei Pakis, Ler Nilaz Sil Lankan IPM, Lunghe, Who Te Prelilasa, ti: high priority relations and ti tion. MT. discuss cd the Lankan TäIllil nadu, : Wii. Wijetunge thii the et Illic { separatist in: "internal (Sri l
So far LEE legislative fol state to the terrorism' ap mai Tidu. This disti Tu cly it circ cter, largely ethnic mosaic Find the par India, follow Bangladesh. am ethnic coiT| S un cd the ch:
and armed : But India, Pilki 5 till if IE and Punjabi
3-0. I STi sa Ine charge
C}Ver äld
the so-called the preponder: which lany a is being used India to do and control
neTits. ()
suspects that t BD, Nepal,
and Bhutan)
Now thcke ful will be igne i 1 being, while

- certainly with 5 that had many bal and Sri Lamika,
E
ra -- Sekhar who '. Singh and main
ill office at the leasure Qf MT. gress has assured tini Prine Minisal rif är Lille Sri
Mr. D. B. Wijepresented President Lat he will give to strong bilateral Tegional ca) (operaChandra Shekhar
question of Sri refugees in Tamilg alssured Mr. it Delhi regarded :onflict and the Sl Tigency a S sin Lankan) problem".
*re hals been no low-up by each חב, וח Wen L10נ1י_וטי" proved in Kathterroris Tl las a iss-border' chara.-- beca, Ll15 lle of the of the subcontinent,
tition of British cd by Secession, Central to many
lict which has a 5racter of terrorism truggle is India. in tur T, accuses issisting Kashmiri milita Ints, — just as Lanka level the gainst India.
I b o ye - a l 1 this is "a symmetry issue", nt power of India, neighbour believes
by an imperial' Tai Ina te the area political developits part, Delhi le 'Six'' (Pakistan, Lanka, Maldives lan to "gang-up'.
damental problems ëd for the tim c specific, and
MEWS BACKGROUND
immediate problems which offer 50IIle chance of Tesollition, will receive attention. Net пenacing problems like drugs but others like tourism where regional cooperation can bring s Wift. Te Wards for T Fill, The cxt SAARC summit will be in Coltimbմ. What was lost heartening was a common recognition of the region's need to respond quickly and sensibly to the challenges of radical global change.
M. de S.
Indian Pi on good neighbours
rine Minister Chandra She
khir has told the Times of India that Indija and Pakistil. In should live like brothers. He told an interviewer who asked him what he would have to say to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif when the two Icil met at the SAARC summit at Male: Only that we have been brothers. It is un fortlāte that because of a turn of history we have separated ourselves; but as brothers we should live together in peace and tranquility and co-operate with each other in solving the problems of the people''.
About his perception of India's position in the world, and how it should deal with its neighbours, the new Prime Minister said: "Our first task should be
to have the best of relatio Ils with our neighbours. It is good that the SAARC meeting is
taking place at this moment. We should try to impress upon leaders of other countries that we should work together in order to solve the basic problems of our people. Our position is that India does Ilot Walt to browbcat anybody, but we are not going to be browbeated by Others either. In international policy we believe in the sovercignty of all nations. There should be no inter wention from outside'.
- リー

Page 6
Mossad inquiry:
Ostrovsky to testify 2
Wictor Ostrovsky, author of BY WAY OF DECEPTION" is ready to testify before the oneIllan Commission appointed by President Prema da sa to investigate scveral sensational disclosures in his book. The ex-Mossad agent who was a case officer (katsa) in the Sri Lankan operation måde two claims that stunned the Sri La Inkam Establish III e It al 1 d shaittered the UNP High Command, although Mr. J. R. Jayewardene who invited the Israelis is 10 longer Head of State.
The main disclosures were:
1) That Mossad trained the "Tigers' while also training Sri Lankan military personnel at camps close to each
other. (Dr. S
Lily Il OW a Chandra She Hd Illitted th: established links.
2) That funds World Bank weli I) cye which was fina II ccd by i diverted to Tatio Il which SAD instruc Lankan pol person. Il el a In Ճ115ly co Tirite administ Tatic
Counter charge
In censed by Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi's observation that Tal IInil Nadu was under the control of the LTTE. Chief Minister M. Karunanīdi has charged that Mr Gandhi, when he was Primc
Minister of India, gave the Tigers' crores of rupees for buying El TITIS. MIT Gandhi had la LeT
turned against the Tigers because they had refused to be his slaves, the Chief Minister was quoted in the Indian Express.
Budget: World Bank job say Opposition
Opposition MPs charged that the 1991 Budget of the UNP Govern Ilent was dictated by the World Bank in its major features. C) ne of tlı ese featlı Tees was the TicIllowal of the subsidy to the CTB. The Gover III e It was carrying out policies outlined in the World Bank Policy Framework Paper on Sri Lanka, the MEP's BallLill Gunawardena MP said during the budget debate in parliament,
NSSP leader Vasudcya Nanayakkara MP denounced it as a capitalist budgcl. that offered nothing to the workers and peasants,
4.
A media c.
The Press Coll. placed by a Med the Gow crimelt Melbers of the be appointed by from names rect Tl (Illinations COTT, sing representati parties dra Wil LI their proportion: parliament.
The 15-II emb mission will ha years. Once app Will be able tij i to the commissii advisor Bradlıan a pre35 conferen mission will mot minister but rep the President. report to Parlian
loans to b
To support th policy of enco" bus operations R Will be di 5 bull T35E National Develo people or compan import buses. As

lub TilmäIlią II SWMinister in Mr. ki. T’s cabilet has L't it Was le Who
LTTE-ISRAELl
given for the sponsored MahapInent Project, almost entirely foreign Hid, Were El “covert" opeinvolved MOStors and top Sri litical, military di civilians waritcd to the UNP
1. D
ommission
1 cill Will be reil Con II mission; h:5 a Eino LIIl cei. CCI 11 IThis sic II will ! the President In Imelded by a mission CO Iun priwes of political p according to Ate presence in
es McIdirl CoIIl1We a life of five ointed, nobody 55:lle di Tectives a T, presidential Werik. It ce, The COIT1be under any ort directly to
It will also .tחשך
uy buses
e government's LI Til ging privalite է5 1,200 III ill it, I1 'd through the pment Bank to ies Who Want Lo. a further in
NEWS BACKGROUND
Ce11tive, there Will be 10 Custo. Ils duty or BTT le vied. Route perIn its will also be liberalised.
PRO TRACTED WAR. . .
(Crited fr Fாg :)
In that sense, President Premadasa won a major psychological battle by visiting Jaffna on the 24th, the first Sri Lailkill head of state to do so in nearly a decade. The writ itself may not run but Jaffna is part of Sri Lanka and its in
habitants, Tamils, Muslim Cor Sinhalese are I11embers of the Sri Lanka. Il fall Illily. Thält W4 s
the micssage that President Premadasa wanted to convey, and in these matters of popular psychology he is streets ahead of his predecessor, President Jaywar die a who couldn’t Care le 55 about mass sentiment. Indeed, In a SS psychology and mass 'comII Llication" te his forte.
In that, symbols are vital; religilus symbols in particular, il this, o lur multi-eth nic Society. At Naga deepa wihare, he said:
We are certail to receive the bles sings of the Triple Gem con this hallowed ground, Nagadcepa, once made sacred by the visit of the Buddha, in Our cffort tc) Te-establish unity a Inong our people and to lead all coinmunitics towards peace and prospeTity through Such unity'.
The President the Wisited the Nagapooslı ani Atılıman Kovil, a short dista Tice: from the Wiha, Tc. A large gathering of Hindus Ta Ilils and Muslims accompaIlied him. The battles in the ground may be brutal and bloody, and the casualty figures heavy. But the more fundamental conflict is the struggle between a separatic Eelam and a united multi-cthnic Sri Lanka.

Page 7
Tax chief frowns om evasion fuses
Commissinier General of Inland Revenue, T. Ratna Sundcram said that the privatic sector resorts to various ruses to pay excessive terminal benefits to its top mälägement and a woid legitimate
HA oS.
"One method that is often used is to heavily inflate the senior management officers last months salary, that is the last salary that he draws before retirement, so that uniformity. Temains applicable when he she is paid their retiring benefits", the commissioner general said.
At present terminal benefits which include gratuities and provident fund, under the law are exempt from taxation up to a limit of Rs. 200,000/-, the balance is taxed at concessionary rates of 5, 10, 15 per cent, prowi
ded such payments are made
Ace Radio Cab
SS SSS S S SSS S JS S LSLSS "Computerised meters " Can be
under a scheme Cable to il cII
''The govern introduced a u Rs... 700,000the normal pi ון 1 וווAny Su heavily taxed a 40 per cent. Th big sums from the concession' säid,
The CIlli Said th:Lt Lind Reveille Act section 20 (A) exemption for al exports in the holiday for 5. 1984 a barket In (111 —traditiú) Ill: 11 y eāTS Wł sig i Wici. comes to all clid,
5 LITT TOT Éd to y 0
" No call up charge within city limits " Wehicle ac *Receipts issued on request ' Company credit ava
Call 501 5D2 5Ո 1503 UI
Another Aitken Spence
 
 
 
 
 

unifornly appli1ployees,
hus II w pper limit of bic taxed it "ogressive rates. excess Will be In di Could go lup lis is to prevent qualifying for ", Rñ LD1:1.5LIndera I11
1. It
General CT the Illa Ilid N. 28 of 197) there was a tax I non-traditional firm of a tax years. III - April exemption for exports for 7 This exemption In March 31, 1991,
rail" Nes)
ssion cr
Lur do Orister)
Cess from 5 Electeerd is tarı d5
| lable
• 501 504
e Service
NEWS BACKGROUND
Government servants massively redundant
A government study has revealed that Sri Lanka has eighty to ninety thousand redundant public servants. An administrative reforms committee which looked into the problem of overstaffing has estimated that of the half million public servants employed in 26 ministries 20 per cent could be pruned without any loss of quality in serwicc.
The committee has also recomIn ended that the number of ministries could be reduced to about 16. The study has revealed that at least five government departments could be scrapped altogether.

Page 8
ETHWC COWFLC
Canberra initiative
he leader of the Australian Democrats, Senator Janet Powell, in a lettcr to Bama Sagadevil, President of the Canberra Tamil Association has said:
''The Australian Democrats regard the continuing violence ir Sri Lāka With Tror Ind distress; one of our Senators, Sis Spindler, passed your concern to the Australia Gowerment after addressing a recent rally in Ca II berra.”"
She concluded: "We will cotim lle to support const Tuctive proposals to resolve this confict, based on principles of n n-violence, istice a Ind democracy. This includes the establish Tinent of a democratic quasi
state in the north-east of the сошпlгу",
Australian Foreign Minister
Gareth Evans has also told thic Australia Senate that he was
extremely concerned by the situation in STi La Ilıkal. He ddel : “l We de COICETI el
about the bloodshed, especially the deaths of non-co II bilitants, about the breaches of human rights and about the implications for Sri Lanka's future as a
nation'.
MT, Gareth Eva I15 wcIL on to say : "'Certainly there is no
question of Inc or the Australian GoWer1ıII1ent coTndcoTning abuses perpetrated by the Government security forces.'
He said that il view of their growing concern about the situaltı and their fiTTı beliefirm the need for a negotiated settlement he had discussel with President Pre II nadas at ways of Illaking progress towards a settle lent, including the possibility of involveIn ent by the Commonwealth or so Inc. other appropriate mill tilate Til Ille chla Ilis II.
THE HINDU
comment from Colombo
Meanwhile The Hindu corres
pondent in Colombo, Thomas Abraha In reports: In the first significant Illove towards inter
national Inciditation to end the wa I i Il Sri Lalka’s morth Tid east, Australia has suggested a Commonwealth initiative to resto Tc peace, The Australian Prille Minister Mr. Bob Hawke Elias
Written to the P Premada sa; ofte T: Services tu stal It a peace initiative. . i Ili Liti WL: I11 es 3. India's Sri Lanka il a state of par birth of ä Comm tive Colli Te5Lult i marginalisation so Inething that gowler In Ilment Wall li be unhappy about
** Gilwell that II interest in the conflict i Sri L given that it is l C) yw 1 i Inter" yn ELI Wic::4. ble to act deci el ce ewelts hierę logical step woul to associate itself ence any Co. I 11 m ili tia tive. Th1rt3l. diplomacy, Indi: scendi its do mesti help to bring peak by starting and gi in multilateral gr CLIIII wČ:Llth. there is al tC in de 1C to regard South backyard and to di to involve inter such as the Col. United Nations disputes. Given weakness; this is should perhaps with."
NEW DELH
Meanwhile al II New Delhi, qu “ "Sri La Llika obs Block' says tha Colombo kept dark' in the A. tive. Not sourc a Iny The W5 ligen C Correspondent, t says:
ET ST. LT, ki South Black i TE sudden Inowe by view prevailing is Linki i Tamils competent tech that Australi ti Three letter's Ill exchanged betw PTcside It Pre II Australian Pri II Hawke in thi contents, thoug released to New

resident, Mr. R. ing Australia’s Coillon Wealth
The Austriā t i tille whe 11
policy reillains alysis, and the in wealth initialIn India's total i Sri Lillk:, the Sri Länka. Il i probably not
lia Iha S a : Witzil nlit COIT1e Of the anka, and also, 11 m.5 trung by its kne55 c. 5 and unsively to influ(Colombo), the d be for II1 dia with a Tld influionwealth peace 1gh imaginative call Still trä. Il sc weakness and :e to Sri L&L Inkä Iiding initiatives oups such as the Unfortunately, y in South Block Asia as India's is courage efforts national bodies ırılımı wealthı - altı d in South Asiln India's internal a conceit that bc dispensed
'Kept in Dark" cws report from coting Luth Ila titled. er yers in South it Camber Tal a Indi India in the Lustralian initiaing the report to y cor any known he Indian Express
a observers in : puzzled at the Australia. One that 25,000 Sri who are highly nologists insisted like up the lead. . . 1ye so f: I hEcII Feel Sri Lil Ilkan ada sa a tad the e Minister Bob 5 regard. The h Ilot oficially Delhi; is known
to Indian officials. South Block has expressed concern, over the Sri Lankan diplomats" at titudė. This is also one of the main Tälls CD15 for the Cai Cellation of Foreign Minister I. K. Kujral's proposed officia I wisit to Colombo. Lanka 3b5e Twer T5 till:5 () feat that one of the superpowers might be interested in indirectly entering the scene through the Ck film (InWealth."
s Taryi Tirrer)
L. ETTERS
Red rag to a bull
Show a red rag to a bull; or mention Stalin's name to a confirmed Trotskyite - the reactibin Would be identicial.
Proof - Mr. Ana radasa Fern
ando's shrill invective in response to the mention of Stalin in Iny articlc.
I said that Stalin accurately predicted that if objective economic laws are flouted, the forces of production will come into contradiction With the existing relations of production and that this warning Welt un heeledi.
Mr. Fernando says that Stalin was like God himself - on nipotent and on niscient.
Obviously not.
Pity.
Tisaranee Guna sekera
A Little Dit Of
perestroika vviІ1 Һelр
MT Siri will T del is Tot the kind of man to give up easily. Though this is an admirable quality in itself I could ha rdly cheer him when I sce him labouring a point.
He doesn't seem to realise the harm he is doing to his cause. For his tenacity gives the impression that nobody should doubt what he says or evvel disselt FTOI 11 P What he is saying.
Sulch a Troga Ince a Tid - intelerance rightly belongs to politicians who think they
3ı Te: Sir , (Oracle, allıd yyılıclı I open my mouth let no dog bark. Perhaps a littlc bit of perestroika tak en three times a day will help to rid hill of the totalitariam tricind of his mind and be less Wicked to Bandaranalike.
S. Pathiravitalia

Page 9
in DIA:
Rajiv's Congress Waits
S. Nihal Singh
NEW DELHI
hic collapse of Wishwanath Pratap Singh's government 11 попths after Ile took office
Illeans two things. The second failure of a coalition or minoTity go w e Tilme II t experiment since: independence in 1947 signifies that in India nothing but a stable majority govern Ilent cal Work, And Rajiv Gandhi's Congress Party can hope to return to power after the next general election.
The imediate cause of Lhe downfall of Mr. Singh's minority government was the withdrawal of support by the right-wing Bharatiya Jamata Patty. In reality, the contradictions and quarrels in the dominant component of the National Front government, the Jamai tal Dal, wcirc to many to per mit a stable governIII. t.
Although Congress failed to win a majority in the lower house, it was returned as the la Tg est single party. But Jalaltal Dal 1, 11 der the Lumbre 11 of the National Front, obtained support from the BJP and the Conmunists - the two poles of the political spectrum - to cobble together a government and keep Congress out.
W. P. Singh had emerged as th e 5ymbol of opposition to Congress, and he promised a Clean and open government. His problem was that he had no political base of his own. The
noment he set about building One, he created a crisis in Jan 24 til Dal and cha Inged thc
BJP's attitude.
MT. Singh cultivated Muslims (roughly 11 percent of the population) and went on to announce the reservation of certain government jobs for specified lower castes. Thiis caused a furor in
Il orther cities a scores of std; themselves. The his II Coves is a 1 iIlito its Hii Illu
The only idec India II politics not counting t everyone playSt isrn, has begn til of a Hindu 5, tal printime - Ininister dhi’s grandfath Neh. Tu, built toi l secular mod Linst Iccessfully c early years of
Thanks partly
revoli 1 tii m iiIm I r 11Illi7 til 3F
the Imilitary dici Zia ul-Haq, the Hildu back lash
di, The BJP this backlash to minoritics, Mus la T, halwe beci i
Electo Til ari against the BJP Hindus co I iš Liit percent of Ind of &Ü() millialı to be divided i sects. Muslims ritics, such as stians, are num play a key part i Ti many constit Hic B.JP" 5 I'W passion am Cong 1ritiլյct: thit bլյl wote for it dics viltis.
After MT. Si: suprise on rescr lower castes, th to exploit a feste over the buildi temple on the mosque stands state of Uttar Pr; ty's president, I a cavalçilde o
 

THE REGOW
to Pick Up the Pieces
nd towns, wher C Tils imnollte BJP interpreted 1 attempt to cut Watt bank.
logical issue in iTu Tecerit years,
het lip Service C Fabia. Il 5ocialle BJPos concept te. India's First and Rajiv GaneT , Jawi: härläl day's India con el which was hallenged in the independence.
to the Khomei Ti an and the ISPakista Il under ator Mohamed i: ווטPe hil5 bg il IllTthe TI I Ilhas exploited suggest that the lims in particucodiled.
hilletic WÜTks because while Little A LI L 75 lia's population plus, they tend nto Castes and Li di C) the T 11 i C) - Sikhs and Chricrous enough to טt) mטutט t in the tucci c5. It is antage to arouse Hindus so is to k of them to pitc their reser
ngh SpTHng his ved jobs for the e BJP decided Ting controversy ng of a Hindu
Site While Te if the lor the Tim adesh. The parL. K. Adwani, led f cars across
thousands of Iniles toward Ayodhya, seat of the temple of Lord Rama, the popular Hindu god. The cavalcade was finally stopped before Mr. Advani could reach Ayodhya. He was arrested, but Tot before he succceded il surcharging the atmosphere. That led to a string of clashes between Hindus and Muslims. The losque at Ayodhya Was copiously protected, but BJP volunteers briefly reached its domes, inflicting superficial damage.
The BIP from Mr. Singh.
withdrew who,
5ppft On the
Werge of his government's fall, donned the cloak of great EaaLLLLL LLLLLS S00a SLLLaaLLLL S LLLLLL
on lifting up the lower castics.
Congress, on the other han, succeeded in causing El split in Janata Dal, and offered
support to a breakaway faction led by Chandra Shekhar to form a government,
Behli ild the Tığını eLI Weri Dıgı, 1:4 y the simple fact that Congress, like most other parties, did I het Want to face the electorate just yet. The highly charged intercommunity atmosphere in the country would pose a law and order problem, and Congress dit It want to 5 ct its Chall CCS of returning to power spoiled by the religious passions aroused by the BJP and by Mr. Singh's high-profile support for the lower castes. (some estimatics say that these castes comprise 52 percent of the population, but they are not monolithic.)
Congress plans to keep Supporting Mr. Shekhar, the new pri Ine Illinister, until - spring.. then go for elections. Inevitably, the chances of Congress receiwing Imajority support swell after the instability caused by a coalition cor -- Iminority governTIL.
(Carire ar page 3)

Page 10
From the South Asia Outlook for Region is
Barbara Cro55ette
MALE, MIĤALTOIWES
le leader5 of sevel South
Asian nations begin a lecting here Wednesday, at a time of Imore widespread internal turmoil and greater um certainty about this region's place in the World that these countries hawe know I il de Caldes.
Four of the seven regional nations - India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka — halwe new gover Inments, all born of controversy and violence to one degree or El nother.
Of the remaining three Bangladesh has been consumed by anti-government riots in recent weeks; Bhutan is suffering its first political unrest, and the Repulic of Maldives, the host country, ha s prepared for this meeting by whitewashing walls, cleaning streets and locking up Ilore than a dozen prominent intellectuals and politicians who might take advantage of the the international spotlight to criticize the regime.
One measure of the atmosphere leiding to this meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation - whose total populätion Of II10-re tha. In 1.1 bi|1101 includes many of the world's poorest people - is that it was
repeatedly postponed.
For mo Te than al year, Sri Lanka refused to take its turn
in holding the meeting because India T trops werc (in its soi 1. Less than two weeks ago, the collapse of the Indian government cal used a last-Illi Tlute diclay of two days. Leaders will be meeting Wednesday through Friday it several locations in this Indian Ocean nation of 1,190 islaids.
The leaders arriving Tuesday or early Wednesday to take part in talks on regional problelis
and projects are Chadira Shi ckhar Millist Na W2. tal, Prime Mi Prasad Bhitta Tali Minister Dingir tunga of Sri L Hussai Moh: In Bangladesh, Kil Wangchuck of B
el Mill of the Maldives
For the fist t not be represent BiTec Indra bir Bik president of Sr. singhe Premada not to leave hi et Hic StTife the
At the associa ing in Islama bɛ December 1988, focused in the I Glndhi Ald Ben: then hailed as leaders who ini tility bet wecin II SIFlIl
This year, the hop e riding on 1 of Mr. Shekha I - government is in in the region - whom many. In a protege of the strong man, Gen Zia ul-Haq.
As the Illeeti Ing Dnea Ted, MT. Shi Struggli Ing 10 1 foreign ministel meeting for the their India. In ci
South Asia i social problems. iom gro: Wing Iri! colul IntTy CXCept Larkil.
All these Cou their economic as inadequate e creased borrowi inflation, compi

Summit, Shaky
: Prime Minister
of India, Prime Shi Ti T of Pakisinister Krishna of Nepal, Prime i Banda Wijeanka. President Ined Ershad of lg Jigme Synge hutan H med PresiAbdul Gayoom
ime, Nepal will ted by its king, :Tl II Shah, The i Lanka, Ranasa, has wowed s country until Te has en cdcd.
.tico III’s last meetld, Pakistan, in
attention was meeting of Rajiv izir Bhutto, bothı prolini sing young ght cnd the hosIndia a Ild Paki
Tc is II luch less he first meeting - whose minority OW the weakest and Mr. Sharif, lians regard as former Pakistani ral Mohammed
in the Maldives :khar was still amic al cabinet; S here have been irst tim e without
unterpaTt.
facing severe with populatpidly in every Bhluta. Il a Lld Sri
Ties hawe 5ecrı probleIns, such port growth, inig and do II nestic unded unexpect
THE REG OM
a larmingly by thc Gulf. Hundreds of South Asian contract lab
employed in
edly and crisis in the of thousands professional and Ores had been Kuwait and Iraq.
In addition, Illuch of the region's oil came from Kuwait or Iraq, while many products, such as tea or jute, were exported to those countrics.
In foreign affairs, India has been drifling for more than a year as successive governments in New Delhi failed to respond to a rapidly changing international environment. India considers itself as leader of the Non aligned Movemcnt, 10 w Hill but defunct as well as a close friend of the Soviet Unio T.
Lately, however, New Delhi has watched President Mikhail S. Gorbachev draw closer to thic United States, while preparing to jettison many socialist policies that so II e Indian leaders
still espouse.
(NYT)
Rajiv's Congress. . .
(Сопriлие! frorri page ?)
Whether the Congress plan succeeds retails to be seen, but India is decidedly in a Transition phase. Thc a na chronism of a breakaway faction forming a government is all too apparent. The country faces horren dous problems, what with the sharper divisions on communities and castes, plus serious insurgencies in Punjab, Kashmir and Assam.
The new prime minister also faces ill economic situation worsened by the Gulf crisis.
As backseat drivers, Congress leaders hope that they will not be held responsible for Mr. Sh
ekhar's failures and that the people will opt for stability Inext time Tound, a 5 they hawe
done so often in the past.
- πίεrrΙαίίσηαι HεrIII: TτίίίΠε.

Page 11
THE PRO REPORT
Report of a meeting held to d Neville Jayaweera's fact-finding Nobel Institute, Oslo, 11 June,
he conference was open cd by
Sverre Lodgaard, Director of the international Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO) who wellcomed the participants. He explained that the aim of the conference was to discuss the report Sri Lanka: Towards a MultiEric Derrycra fic: Society a Tid the recommendations of Neville Jayawccra's mission to Sri Lanka. The mission, which took placc from the last week of November 1989 until the end of March 1990, was initiated by PRIO.
Lodgaard outlined current research T at PRI O Irelated to the conflict in Sri Lanka. One of the main foci of PRIO's Research Programme on Ethnic Conflicts and their Resolution (ECCC) is Sri Lanka. ECCO has previously organized seminars and published reports on the internal conflict in that country,
The objective of Jaya weera’s ission was to collect information on the para meters for the development of a multi-ethnic democratic Society in Sri Lanka, This was done principally by interview. While PRIO recognizes the quality and integrity of the report, the recommendations are the responsibility of its author.
Financial support for the mission and the conference was provided by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NOWIB in the Netherlands and the Human Rights Desk of the Eva Tgelical Churches in Gerillany (EKD).
The official opening statement was delivered by Knut Wolleback, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Norway. Wollebaek said that hic was Tot a specialist oil Sri Lanka, but that he Visited the country during his assignIment at the Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi, and considered himself a friend of Sri Lanka.
Dear Meirw yn
I am pleased
Lanka, TOW a Neville Jayaw Pea Cee: Re Selar: wegian govern
The report Co conflict and a religious grou änd non-g Over purs uit of pea
The report w: Norwegian No. Of donor. 3
La mkia NGOs, and other Corg wwвrtз ппапү wi meeting some and Some in C 9 of the repo publish the C criticisms and
It is likely th; Criticism 5 Sepi dian Would si
Tha Lankā ( äärid C tribut i 1 Sri Lanka.
wide some s Willich is an Cl
| the Marga |
With regard t is closed a to you and C
Wolleback p
the issue of 5ociety is ilde tant Inc. Thilt II : I L5 in East
led to a great ethnic problem time, these clic :TEET: " " TE it may becom to draw peop.

scuss the outcome of
i g mission
1990
to forward a copy of the
25 Ot DET 1990
filla | Warsion of Sri
rds a Multi-Ethnic Democratic Society by 3 era which was commission Eed by the Internationa |
h Institute (PRIO) and sponsored by the
Nor
ment, Diakonisches Werk - EKD and NOW|B.
ntains a review of the history and causes of the LLLL0 LLLLC LHLLLL LLL LaLLLLLLL CCLLLSS LaaaL CaLa
ps, the military, wigilante and guerilla nmental organizations in the conflict and in the
CE.
gГО Шр.5
is submitted for discussion at a meeting of the LL LaLLLLL LL LLLLLLLLS00S SLaatL 000S S LLLL HaaaaCL
gEncies,
at scholars would prosent their
LLLLLC LL LLLLLL CmLa S LHHC LLamL LLLLaL LLLLLLLSLC LLLLCS iTUlate a active debate,
Guardia has beer well known for its advocacy 3d to the debate on the conflict and its resolution Wa Would be grateful if you also would pro
pace for advertising the publication, a copy of osed. The publication is available for sale at stitut.
international and Sri Larıkans repreSenting anizations were present at the meeting. ews, criticisms and comments expressed at the of which hawe been in Corporated by the author luded in the report of the me ating in appendix rt. We hope that you would now be able to onclusion in the report as well as
wigws expressed in appendix 9.
organizations and Sri the govern Tant Therë
tha wāris
Own wig WS and
L C LLLLL CCLLLatam LL aLLLLLLLSS LLLLL LaL LC LLmmmLLLLL d let me once again express my warm wishes ontinue your excellent work.
oinited out that
a multi-ethnic ed a Very inıp Ör: recent developerrn Europe hawe er a wa Teness of 18. At the 5: Elle velopments might rsightedness", i.e. 2. Ti difficiullt e's Httention til
Kumar Rupesinghe
Third World ::ff ITS TJ15T ställding ethnic conflicts is important for the future of Sri Lanka. but also for other, si Imilar CO Ilicts in the future.
The Ministry of Forcign Affairs was happy to be involved in the report. Sri Lanka used to be regarded by many as a '.' Imodel", due to its combination of social

Page 12
achievement and deilocratic institutions. It was only realized during the 1980s that an underlying ethnic conflict and largescale human rights violations existed.
The conflict in Sri Lanka haud mlade a deep impression in
Norway. Since 1977 Sri Lanka has been one of Norway's Ilain partners in development aid.
Norwegian development aid to Sri LankEL Secks to promote living conditions in Tural districts, and focuses on the young and unemployed. Since 1983, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry and NGOs, Hawe beel i Iwolved in rehabilitation and reconstruction projects.
The complexity of the problcIls in Sri Lanka are Ilow Timore realistically perceived, and the present detente will hopefully lead to a democratic process, Jaya weera’s report should be siccin as a stepping stone for finding ways and Ileans for solution of the conflict.
He then pointed to the broader
context of regional conflict resoIu tion and Lunder-lined the ilin por
tance of using the imprøved relations between the superpowers to achieve this. In this
context, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is making available funds for building democracy', as a partner in positive development in various collIntries such als Chile, Sri Lanka, Eritrea, Cambodia and Afghanistan. Western countrics have an obligation to assist in laying the basis for positive developments taken by the people of those countries.
Wollebaek recognized the fear of Third World cultics of being bypassed iIn the Tlush for development aid, and he pointed out that this fear was not quite un foundcd. Assistance to Eastern Europe should not be taken from aid designated for the Third World, although in the longer term, the changing situation in Eastern Europe II ay also have positive economic and political effects for developing countries.
Neville Jayaweera then introduced the report by underlining
O
that it is itsel that he was perceptions o prescinted.
During his v Jaya weera talk tatives of all III actors, except til he made sever; s (). He s t. Te55 edi of the mission gate hu min r nor to put the any other group the ilim Was to | of progress towa democritic scit was to bc sou lysis of the ideology, pro leaders, party Imedia illi Elnd the
A central que the TT ulti-ethni i 1 i del or wh although at an development. this has to be thic fra Ille Worl history of Sri Independence ir has been engage tasks: nation-b structuring of th nation-building has taken sor Europe, and all Ilation in Af i In this proces: time, almost i ccc1Comy hals in Tetilst Till ct it sic
The conflict should also international includes the modern Weapo in the discours
The crisis i be broken d dimensions:
- the civil - the threat
integrity - the threats
within, in JVP - intra-coln II -- Sy St Cliatic
h lIrman rig F - the CCC no II

a process and open to other the evide Ice
sit tC - Sri Lankä, d with represenst all political e LTTE, although | attempts to do that the Illidit: is not tri investights violations, gover Il Tilent of in tial, Rather, ck for evidence “ds al multi-te:th Illic ty. This evidence hit through an alegall stTL1LtlITés, lol III Cements by In a lifestos, the
ble - of N(C) S.
stid 11 is Whether : society is only ether it is real,
early stage af The cwidence for
licated Within -
of the Iodern Lil Tıktı. Since 1 1948, the Country dil tW) WCSCII uilding äl 1d . Tey, BlutנןLנrig ס:שם E
is a task that ne 400 years in lost every major "ica is involved s. At the sa Ine no post-colonial nanaged fully to
F.
in Sri Lanka ie seen — in1 - it. s context, Which ay::Lil:ihi Tity of is and their part s
I -- Sri LaDıkE. caI1 lown into eight
to te Tritorial
to the Stilte fTm particular by the
unal conflicts
violations
1 t5;
nic crisis
- the dissolution of civil society
- the threat to democracy as a consequence of all these factors.
During the last months, various positive developments had e merr ged-there was a truce, Indian troops had withdrawn, the threat of the WPhad beeleliiated, the intra-Tamil conflict had stopped, there was less evidence of human rights violations, the
economy was picking up, and civil Society functioning.
But Jaya weera war Ted that
present euphoria should not be taken too seriously. The underlying trends continued to exit, but space and time now existed to find solutions to conflicts which IIlay surface again. He distinguished between governments (which can be replaced), states (that can bc built up again) and civil society (which can be threatened by complete disintegration).
Jaya weera argued that the government, NGOs and the intcrnational community should act cooperatively, It hl1ւյլIld positively support the existing brealthing space, a Ludi resources Id assista Ilıcc should Tot b c Withheld, NGOs 5 hould come to the realization that a new mentality was needed, they must expand their social base, and there was a need for a compre.I DETH IIl In Eם הטווח וחטים הה שhensiv The government should flush out elements of violence and human rights violations, it should alter its strategy of dealing with the JWP, include the NGOs, and set up a Permanent Peace Committee.
It would be an important step forward if the commitment of Preside 1 L PT e Tiada sa, reiteralted
in the interview (Appendix 3) that he rejects human rights violations, led to identification
and dissolution of groups which violate human rights.
Jayaweera concluded by saying that both the particular and the general perspectives needed to Էյt ct Timbirl etl.
After the break, the was opened for comments questions.
flյնr āIld

Page 13
Kumar Rupesinghe, Director of the ECCO Research Programme at PRIO, thanked Jaya weera for his report and stressed that the document was a working document and PRIO would invite critical comments. The final document would reflect the proccedings and cornments of all the participants. The meeting was therefore intended to reflect on the report and the important issues raised in it. The meeting was a forum for representatives of the Sri Lankan government,
donor agencies, international NGOs and Sri Lankan NGOs to explore possibilities for a multi-ethnic society.
The situation in Sri Lanka should be looked at within a comparative perspective. The
current phase of democratization would bring Inc w types of conflicts into the open, particularly ethnic and identity conflicts. There were currently about 37 internal wars in the World with mo Te than 1000 casualties, all in developing countries. Most of the at Ilied conflicts were based on territorial claims with a strong ethnic component.
The vulnerability of the state When faced with several conflicting claims from different sources should be considered, Young states in the Third World face the posibility of external interference a long side the challenge of Inodernization. Youth and the marginalized have become a major demographic factor, and when consulinerism and the iTfill cice f effectic cIII liications contribute to a sense of deprivation such groups often turn to a rins to resolve perceiWedi conflicts.
With regard to the situation in Sri Lanka the relative stability and the sen sic of normalicy which prevailed did not automatically mean there was an institutional capability to meet the Warious criscs with which the country would be confronted in the futurc. Pro longed states of emergency contribute to continued human rights violations and it is important to think in terms of institutional capacitics
for meeting c That armed coi [1 Lucile to 1pc a W be accepted. Ca civil Society du intense armed c. enanced. How
population be it i Ing law and i the government forces be cal || accountable to c These are diff Lincs which mu Civil society r space for cor and transfor In
le55 violent pro
Rupesinghe
cxamples of a C of the civil po tions of a Til Colombia, a c. armed conflicts the pica sa Intry selves and in Wi and gllerrillas their bocha, Wici). Llir Phililipines, th declared peace areas where th: guerrillas cann ATC II hany III] QT
Târgie Wittlc journalist, said to be identific to wa Tids TecCoinci is a need for tribal values common societ to trust despite tics, and from people's power, Im Fltin is H for mail tail a free and måtion syster establish cil. A cu sting is a stat the stä, te has : El large part o tachchi propos of the press-pl casting coluld corporation1, a II
tion in the I increase its suggested that
cation progra II for communic and NGOs (i zation5 Of BLuc.

Intinued crises. I flicts may contily of life has to 1 governance and I ing periods of onflict be countcall the civilian Wolved in assertTcle? How can and the guerrilla
di lupo II to bc ivic institutions? cult issues but
st be considered. lust expand the flict resolution conflicts into a CSS,
mentioned two tive involvellent pl1l2l tion in situa!d conflict. In i un try ra waged by , in some regio Ins organized themled the military
t0 a CC0 11 Ilt foT
to the III. In the e NGOs have
Z01 es i 11 some : Inilitary and the it operate. There : such examples.
lchi, 1 reno W nel that walues nced d which can lead liation, and there El change fron t0 Wa 1 Les Of : y, from distrust ! separate identielite power to Credible inforkey element ng trust, and pluralist inforIleeds to be [ present, broade monopoly, and lso control over the press. Witld a liberalization blic sector broadublicק n by HנוT טר d more competirint press Would credibility. He training and eduIl es be linched tos i 1 Imedia "I cluding orga nidhist monks).
Private armed guards, which can develop into private armies. need to be prohibited.
There is also a need to acknowledge the reality of India (and the Indian Army) as a neighbour. Sri Lanka owes its religio II. El Id culturc t) India, but Sri Lanka has always been a distinct Society, Ilcwer ruled from India.
Periath a Iııby Raja nay agam, editror of the Warrill Tires, said he agreed with the general thrust of the report. However, he held problems with accepting certain fundalental premises, and wondered why Jay Weera had refrained from in Westiga ting hul III a. Il rights violations. Raja Inayagam poin
ted out that "human rights' not only refers to killings, disappearances Flind torture, it
includes also democratic rights, and thesc a Te always an important aspect of life in civil society,
He also questioned whether Ination-building and ccc) no Illic development were the funda
In ental issues in post-independent
Sri Lanka, At the time of lilldependence, there was a high literacy rate and a reasonably
good economic basis. The plantation Tamils were deprived of their citizenship rights un necessarily,
There should be a willingness to accept giving up power. If not, there would be recourse to extra-parliamentary means of action, and the report fails to note this. He also took issue With what he saw as Jaya weera’s perception of militarism-militarism is not the possession or number of guns, but a military designed specifically to meet internal ene Inies, and the creation of a national security ministry. The government must m1cct JWP ter Torism, but not by barbaric micans.
Rajanayagain saw the institutionalization of violence as a contributory factor to the violations of hu Iman rights and democracy, the subversion of the electoral process, and the erosion of respect for the rule of law and the judicial process.
11

Page 14
The Sri Lanka Ill NGOs should not be expected to provide the basis for broad-based representative groups con issues such as multi-eth Inicity because the NGC) s are small and have a history of taking up positions for which there was little popular support.
Bradman Weerakoon, Special Adviso T o Il Interlaltico T1äl Relation at the Sri Lankan President's Office, was grateful for the opportunity to act as a representative of the government at the Inecting.
The report is very balanced and problems are considered in an objective manner. The re
marks on peace, euphoria and whether the present peace is transitory or is due to War
weariness are debatable points. President Premadasa was totally committed to the establish II e It of a MEDS. It was the Sinhala majority who will have a bigger say in promoting a MEDS and there was therefore a need to strengthen MEDS consciousnc55 tỉ mong the ordinary_masses, As far as the government was concerned, the role of confrontation was closed and President Prema dasa had emphasised consultation, compromise and colsensus. In the UNP Ina nifesto, emphasis was given to peace, harmony and progress as guidelines. There was nor Italization on both fronts. The question is how can the window of opportunity be used to establish lasting peace. The NGOs and the donor countries should also consider how they could contribulte to the millinte mance of peace. The Tamil people had suffered in the past and the government was determined to meet their aspirations. President Premada sa with his srong base in the Sinhala-Buddhist community is in a better position than anybndy clse to deliwer the goods. It should be Il entioned that Somme of the important steps such as the convening of the All Pai Tty Conference (in August) and the appointment of the Youth Commission (October) were taken at the height of insurgency when the civil society was in total
12
disarray. Ther is sucs bcfore
Conference and are represente LTTE Find EPR in the deliberati parties have f. the All Party Was a Wery po:
Nagalinghan introduced hil Secretary of of Tamil ASSO UK. In 1987, recognized the Toe in the Tal the LTTE 115 e5 to have its wi The LTTE WI. represented at i while Te the STi . is being discuss NGOs to make ble for this.
Satchlitha na th: report, saying t of it were wery absolved the ge ponsibility for Violations OWer years and ques th:ät hul II13. En T were the funda the conflict.
It also trivial struggle. He st to the use of pendix. 5) to illu if the current LTTE (tiger) ht President's acce: is not shown.
The LTTE E appeal led to participate in
process. When asked to be iint TC leaders in Lor
wer was that t o the Preside person they c di di Illot Want credibility by tal else.
The LTTE st development it and Eastern PT called the att NGOs to the involvěd in rch with orphans th Eastern Relief tion Agency.

e Wert Wilty the All Party all Tamil parties d (although the LF not regularly) Ils. Til SI:ller Jund a forum in Çi:1fe Tence yyhich Siti we fill; to T,
Satchlithilathia II Ilself as Ge 1: Tal the Federation ciltid II, 8; in the:
lil FE:ieli titli LTTE leaderhip mil st Fluggle, a, Ihd
the Federation ews represented. ld like to Ec
liter Ila till fyrä Linkan situation ed, and hic asi keci Test urc:5 HWi1i1i1
a criticized the hat sorne aspects dan gerous. It VIII. It Of Teshuman rights the last thirteel tilled the fact ights violations liental cause of
ized tilfe TIL Illil r0 Ingly objectcp he cartoon (ApStrate the reality
problem. The s a gun El Ind the SS LO I, II a Tim y
15 consistently 7 - 3110 werd to the democratic
Mr Jaya weera duced to Tamil dom the al Ills1cy w cre: talking it as the only ili trust and
to 115 e Lheir king to anyone
:ks Lt) promotic the Northern will Ce5, al lid lle 'It II of the f: ct that it is bilitatic work ough the NorthLld ReElıbilita
The government was reconmended not to use the military option to address the problems of the Tamils; it is the responsibility of the govern Ilent to foster peace. He supported the rei Ilarks of Mr Wittach chi on IT ulti-ethnic democracy and Mr Raja Ilayaga In On human rights.
Nevertheless, the goodwill
expressed in the report was a positive contribution.
Desmond Feri: Ildio, President
of the Sri Lank: Bar Associal
ti31, Congra tulate di Jlya weera On the report. He criticized the government of President
Jaya Wardenc for attackson the judiciary, including attempts to relove the Chicf Justice. The legal profession had a II ore positive opinion of President Premadasa, and was glad that he inaugurated the Annual Session of the Bar Association. President Premada sa was conInitted to maintaining the Tule
of law. There had been a decrease in ferocity against the judiciary, although threats to
sco III e lawyers continued.
A positive development is that a TI Il y cofficers had shown interest in the promotion of hl u II Ilia Initaria In law.
One of the problems to be addressed was the continuing State of emergency. Fernando propos cd il temporary solution in which the state of emergency would be limited to certain provinces. This could be achieved by bringing detainees to large prison camps in provinces where the state of energency Would be maintained. Prison warders necided to be educated 01 the Tulles regai Tiding the tretmelt of prisoners as laid down in the Prisons' Ordinance.
The LTTE should II w. Hic expression of dissenting views in the Northern Province.
Ne ville Jayawe era thanked the speakers for all continents and suggestions made, and said that he would not respond directly. He referred Satch it hanathan to a para graph in Chapter 5 of the report under the heading The LTTE' saying that the chauvinism of the Sinhala Inajority was the primary reason for aggravating the conflict and the violence.

Page 15
The after Iloil session was chaired by Kumar Rupesinghe. He suggested that the meeting should focus on particular issucs
and proposed the following thë II les: – the Tole of civil society
and governance, especially proposals to sustain civil society Linder colditions of äT-d flict - demilitarization and behaviour of the arried forces - the democratic process, including the holding of elections, the responsibilities of the Sinhala majority and the minority communities, the Space for tolerance and expressions of disse Ilt - the Iced to recise the Vicious cycle of violence into the virtuous cycle of peace - the role of information and
communication -- the human Tights issue: how to sustain the protection of citizens and their physical sccurity - devolution of power - the Tolc of the economy in the process towards a multiethnic democratic society. Godfrey Gun a tilleke, Director of the Marga Institute, expressed his gratitude for the initiative that had been taken and the report that had been presented. The report was particularly valuable in that it provides a unique framework of communication in which the different partics and colli IIlu Ilitics can e Inter into El ca. Ilstructiwic dialogue in the lature of the future of Sri Lankan socity and how they can build it together. One of the Tajor problems preventing such dialogue in the past was the difference in DeTceptions of the lature ad causcs of the collflict which each commity entertailed and the entrenched biases and grieVances with which they approached the problems. In a project which the Marga Institute had recently undertaken representatives of different com mul nities Werc Writing a common history
of the cith nic conflict. The exercise Would illustrate the intic Inse discipline that each
com In unity hal: to arrive it a Self-revealing the country's I such a context flicting percept Weera report W for developing : Work of values language that pc:Locc Hind rect);
A II - Ililysis situation with fargile state of h: Seel resto to liss sole features of the and resilieTice Three e elet: erill phasis eti, fir: itary relations that Will sust i IstituLiCT5. T had del onstrate did It fit i Tit. Which internal authOTitari T1 m of government. de T1 Cocratic pa Tt the electo Titi: il of the country st reight and resp up to the Lln prec and intimidati to subvert demic C1 & Ed Elld be the electoral pro risk to lives and This had to be major afirinatio cratic process. becil : fall T-reaci the CIlsciousnes particularly amic III ajority i Il Tegal problem. The typ Eate com Ilmu la Iwi a3 Tell 1983 Was II again. This is b fact that thic Illas dhapura, the kill villagers in the пjassarce of B and the bCITmb C3|| III1b di di not communal respo yi IIlessed iT |93 The efforts LG and reconciliatic strenght from all elem Cn t5.
Multi-ethnic de seIII gc and caill b, only if it is a the ideology ol

s to go through objective and Lunderstanding of 'ecent history. In of deeply conins, the Jayaould be valuable 1 COTT1110. Il fr: IT1Cand a comillion would promote Il Ciliation.
of the currell the stress oil the the peace that Ted, was likely of the positive inner 5 ETength of the system. 3 needed to be it, the civil-lil: T = 0; i a k i ild ail democratic he recent past that Sri LinkEl the model in conflicts lead to i | ital, Tistic for II15 Second, the ty system El 1 di the major part had shown the onsibility to face cidented silence In that threatened 3 Cratic illistitutiin able to uphold less, despite real hersonal security. perceived as a Il Cof Ethic dcmillóThird, there had ling change in is of the people ing the Sinhala LT t t ble ethic e filiis Crimlilllence as it occurIt likely to occur iorne olut by the šäcTeg i II Amuralings of Sinhala North East, the „1 ddh is t i III1c) Ilk 5, explosions in provoke violent rises of the type 33 and earlier. promoté peace in shot d draw these positive
:ocracy lakes ecome a reality ceIn t Tall issiLlc in If thic Si Thaila
majority. Some of the recent discussions on nationail identity ä3 WE|| aliis the 5 cl Tch i FITnational ideology by the elites of the majority illustrated the enor illous complexity of the problem. Can multi-ethnic values become the basis of popular denocracy? Is it possible to discove I in the strong liberal tro 1 di tiujn in Buddhism – the core vallues that cil, 1 pTom Cote: aind sills tail it in Ilti-ethic dellcracy? These questions had to ble d'E55 ed il al effort to build the fill India Lil of Wallies and ideology needed for such a de II cracy.
The II: 11n er i 11 Which the state deal L. With the Wilence in 1989 resulted in the gross violation of human rights by warious groups who appeared to be acti Ing with the sa Ilıctico II of the statc. Some of thesť excess c5 were attributed directly to state fcrc c5 thicmsel wees. TheTec was a Iced to examine carefully how a State can deal withı :xtraordinary situations of civil unrest Linki wiskolc ncc si () - als - t 3 millimisc the human cost and protect human rights. Some have argued that the actions of the state and the couIn terwiolence was iDe Witable. As the situal tio II worseled, the professionals. With Tilderate humane approaches became ineffectul al al lid har die TS WeTe Illowed to positions of all thority, The different actors who had to deal with that situation needed to look back at the crisis and ask themselves why they acted as they did. Why did civil society collapse in the way it did Could the government and security frce5 h:1ve dealt with the situation differently, safeguarding human rights, while at the sale time quelling the violence effectively and speedily? What are The Tesidul ele Illerts Thlt TerTilin in the systern which threäten hu Ilan Tights and how can they Ele eliminate
The report sees the NGOs as important actors. While this was trille, the Ti Tits withii II which they work had to be recognized.
NGC)s haye limiter constituencie:5. Each hlas a limited field of action. However, to the ex
tent they act with committinent and Imobilize themselves collectil
13

Page 16
evly, they could become a critical Ilass which can influence the power-holders. This process can be helped if the government can give NGOs in different fields an accredited role in the shaping of policy and legislation. Consulta Lliwe Inechanisms could be established for this plu pose 10 promote a regular dialogue between the government and the NGOs. At the sa IIle tille, the Te have to be appropriate structures of accountability for the NGOs. They neither h:1ve the systems for public accountability of state organisations mor the account Elbility which private enterprises have to the investors a 11 di sharelders. It was the Tefore essential for the NGOs tO a ddTe55 themselves collectively to this problem and develop systems of accountability which would ensure the necessary Ima Illa gerial standards and promote full public confidence in the Ill.
With regard to the economic dimension, Guna tilleke stressed that peace and develop in entre closely inter related. The availability of adequate Tesources a Iud a pace of development that will effectively deal with the problems of unemploy Incn L and powerty are preconditions for peace. There Was, howewer, a need for greater efficiency in the use of the resources that are made available to the country through aid. The development strategy of die w Colution had to be strength1ened to promote a pattern of development which was equitable in relation to all ethnic groups. Therefore, one important ingredient in a strategy to build a multiethnic society is a multi-ethnic partnership in development. Martin Engals, Secretary-Gel :- ral of International Alert, addressed the role of the inter Intitional community, in particular international NGOs, in solving internal conflicts. He pointed out that com Inom problems exist in various countries, and that one can learn from different experiences in a comparative approach between, for example, the situations in Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland. Commenting on Jaya weera's report, he said that he hoped that in the final version implied criticisms of the
14
11155ions from Cit be edited. Each its owl II: Ida organizations håll. to Sri Laikai consent and COs government, and MT. Jiya weet'a's cellent in its p substance and consider a blic als those concertnē di of long-ter m peà The peace it 5 till fTagile alınd time for egotia lecided III W WA use of the exis NGOs universit istituti 5 il. CI El Io i LA I 115 L Il TccÖnciliati Çıtı L. Il Co w II lents. He selli Illars, ble h1 auspices of in at national institl a wireless if th Inulti-ethnic : equal pllll rall : context he off boTati)In (bf — Irni in association
The guerillag to be brought arena and to ponsibilities b) non-armed con The till was in need use of the Allas a Imeans of tliccision-talking Stime grouբ5 d: of bypassing C15titution.
Finally there for training, handling throll Such als HUR monitoring of human rights wi governmental e ment is resp) administration guerrilla mover ectively control aspire to repl should be exp: iT accorda Tice 'ı standa Tls of hi' huma nita rial Im lE Nadarajah Sh
NORAGRIC, necd for a 11 Sri Lanka 01

let NGOs could Illission had -te and many i Sent Ini55ion5 with thic full peration of the of the President. Teport Wa5 cxresentation and Willd be of Sista, Ince to all With the creation Ce in Sri Lanka. 1 Sri Lankı is thcr te wa 5 little tion. What was s to make full ting network of ites and research an attempt to sus for peace and hrough existing suggested that eld under the ional and interIts to
e need for a ind politically society. In this eted the collaICTI lational Alert with others. Toups also needed Into the political |ccept thei Testhı ilıı : TITed Hindi flict.
ic process itself f defence. The arty Conference consultation and was seen by being a means the denocratic
is constant need iTi informationgh () Tganisation DOCS, and in twents, including lations by non|tities. Gover 1sible for the of justice but cits which effAreas and which ce governments :ted to behalwe ith international man rights and
ni Inugara tnam of inted to the w discou Tse i Il the national
question, including dicvelopment issues. The current conjuncture was unique, and hopefully the conference would contributic to the peace process. An issue to be discussed was whether the unitarian character of the state should be preserved, or if a federal option is a sound basis for a multi-ethnic society. Attention needed to be paid to the future position of the Muslims and the upcountry Tamils. The last group lives and works on plantations which are economi cally LInsustaina blic and socially undesirable. The possibilities for multi-ethnicity will have to be teste di in på Titicular i Il a reas with a mixed population, i.e. the North and the East.
In general, the parameters of civil society needed to be discussed in relation to the development of a welfa Te state. A ne w Sri Lankan consciousness needed to be created. Often, new development projects in Sri Lanka had been created while existing on es were not finis hel o com solidated. There should be some restructuring of development administration.
Sunil Bastian, reseal Tcher at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies in Sri Lanka, said that one should be wary of the sense of stability prevailing in the South because it had been preceded by a period of such violent upheaval that the contrast may give a false impression of stability. In fact, after an un precedented level of military activity, few people were talking politics in public places as they used to. It should be recognised that there are four basic ethnic groups in Sri Lanka. A lot Thore work Teeded to be done Om making the country truly bi-lingual at the level of administration, media and education. A start had been made towards devolution, but the new institutions such as the PTC will - cial Collici 15 Tallised ai lot of questions about how they could be strengthened. There should be more effort to wrest control of the media from the state; even the multi-cthnic New Year referred to in the report was really a Sinhalese New Year put forward as a national New

Page 17
Year. On thic point made earlier that NGOs often express a minority point of View, it is important to have groups which pTes LIL i 1iliIlLrity Wie W in Ürder to priðrill Cote Hindi wil support for the Ill.
Werner Lottie, Human Rights Secretaty for Diakonisches Werk der EKD, the Social Services Organistion of the Protestant Churches in Germany, said that hiss agency : a ıd atlı ers hald III, Cilt tried to reduce the probles in Sri La Inka a II di Cyth CT developing CCIO LILI1t Ties to 1 LI [mi 8h In Tights · prùblens. II fact, they had been and were still trying to provide development support for the n1}st m:1 Tgn:llized SectTS Of the populations in developing societies, this trying to help these societies til fiind thei T i Wally to genuine and equitable social and economic development. However, dıuring the 197{)5 and 19805 dl)T1 oT5 were confronted with situations i I vari olI5 ColIII tries Where development aid was reduced to securing survival of their partners and target groups. Mr Lottie stressed the point that those forces Who extensively Wiola te huma. In rights are to be held responsible if the problemills of a country seem to be reduced to hu IIlă I1 rights issues, El E1d not these groups who try to stop such violations or to help the victims. The Human Rights. Desk of Diak) lische's Werk of - EKD Wils in the first instance created to protect and assist victims of hu IIna. Il rights violations. Chosing for victims can lead to conflict with those in power, Experience shows that promotion of the Tulle CF avy i5 a. precondition for sound and successful develop Inct. There is a Inced to Ilonitor government actions in relatill to him all rights in order to protect the integrity of development aid.
Lottic stressed the point that not only governments should be held responsible for human rights violations, also "quasi-state entitles” likc libeTitijtl lly velet 5 should be Iliade accountable for hııımarı Tights violitiÜıs, This is soil times difficult for solidarity groups whose sympathies lie with liberation movements, but foT human rights Worket S the Te can be no distinction filade as hul man Tights are indivisible. MT.
Lottje men tid Efter 1979 . Il the SWAPO ag dissi delt IIle IIIb) F1 T - this re; urged the LTT cratic process ul de their i så feguard the h the populi la til Li. It be judged the government to human Tight Although it possible to lac was glid to pr the peace effort: :Ft סרן וח i - חi# - 15 recognized the addres sing the le Flo 8. Cf. ht 1 milm
THE fleed
di Elling Ie - slı CP 11 li iki dres 5 i 1 g of violation3 : in
sitāti, bet" advocacy what wicti IIS of h i II gover in the cho
Ninan Koshy, CCIII Ilission of III termiti) :1 || III, World Coll Inci expressed his the välill ble T colled the Trlade to the i r Illu Inity. The T Sri Lanka’s pr is (if signific; number of ill. It and als (I to th a profileration flicts i 1 Ti : I Wự co Tld, and the ' is often affect
With regard first task of community wa In : W 5iLLI Batic) II 1 possibilities whi offered. Suppo LC bli ildling a sus On the ba! LlIl der St:1D ding C The inter litic should support i 15 titlu tills Wit fo I Sustaining ty, and also concerned Wit. i SS lle 5 in the | for institution: promote and d A Ille w disc L. place 0 TIL TImiT Self-dete Triminat

Ened Nicaragua the actions of ainst their owl
ers as examples. is on he strongly E to allow dell)- ill the territories (Introl ind to illian rights of
THE LITTE : 1 differently from
when it cres
$1
had it becil k Of Lille, EKD
ovide support to 5 which the rep Cort 1T1 t p::i Tt. EKD) importance of underlying probrights violatin i 15. f continued
liliman rights thli5 – ci ile:Il Til alı en dialogue - EL Iind is best for the an rights should lice 5 milia de.
Di TCEO of the the Churches II Affairs of the l of Chu Tches, appreciation for eport, and wellTec Tm IIc Id altions 1 ternational comnailler in which oblems are solved : Ticc to a lil Tgc rInitional NGOs. e WCC. The is of ethnic conly parts of the WCC constituency ed. tai Sri Lanka, the the il critical s to interpret the and exalile the clı tlığı il situation rit should be given 1. Licinal conscni5 of the new If Illalti CD:ll lility. 11:11 cc Timlinity the building of hil the country al plural list socieC)Titi III e tɔ be h hill man Tights form of support in Sri Lallık to efend these rights. ission should take ority rights and ion-this was a C
વ્યક્તિ
Eastern Europe. rights are exercised sha
be ex al III inled.
Relig L15 - An di eith Thic idcIl titi tės are often overlapping, and religion is lised to pro IInote or defend litionalism. This has unfortunate consequences iI mai my countries. But rcligion Clin also play a positive role in promoting pluralist, multiethnic Societies.
After the te: brcık, Desmond FeTian du add Tessed the issue cof different ways of solving problens. There was a need for Working out a contingency plan in , case clifforts at to achiewing peace fail, law and order break; dů Win - HL End ä1 [1 emergency arises Once again, als happened during the JWP uprising in 1989. He recomme Lided that a task force be set up for this purpose, with representatives of the governIllel and NGOs,
John de Silva pointed out that
the en wir On The Elt als suffers whell the Tulle of law breilks down. In Sri Lanka, there had
been wanton destruction of the enwir Immert; Whlich had zerjLu5 Consequences for the population, It is important to creatic pluralistic media which cover development and enwir Commental issues. Linkages inced to be established between NGOs and journalists, in oder to ensure the process of liberalization of the Inedia. The Indian example of the Docorda shan may show it is possible etc) disconnect state control from the broadcast media.
Tarzil Wittachchi proposed Lihat the President should appoint a commission to liberalize the media, so that they will be in orc pluralist. The ownership of the Ila til Thalized press needs to be b) Tiba de Tei.
Also, Sri Lanka should particpatic moTc actively in the SAARC, in order to develop the crimmunity sense in the I egion, which was latent.
l In Teply to issues raised, Brad Ilian Weerakoon said that within the All Party Conference discussions were being held on the liberalization of the India and the TULF and Liberal Party W cre playing a leading role in this regard. The Youth Commission had alsi i recommended
15
---

Page 18
such liberalization and this had been accepted by the president, As for the Task Force, PRIO perhaps could take the initiative for consultations on peace and democracy. This can be a two stage process beginning with the local NGOs and with ther organization 5 lt 1 later Stage. A 5 f, T, the PPC the Te Te CeTtti difficulties. This will not be a reality unless all the parties were prepared to take part. The experience with the North-East Peace Committee was not very encouraging. The proposal can be considered within the aegis of the All Party Conference. AS for de III ilita Tizia, tibb In jI İLEle South, questions are being asked about why the LTTE were allowed to carry arms. Many of the suggestions made by ICRC have been accepted. There should be i pro per mix betweeIli equity and open econo IIy and the JSP Was ili) iTıp OT tanıt component. As for hillman rights, ther c were propos als before the All Party Conference on the appointment of all Oil budsia. In and the cistil blish III e Int of a hulina. Il rights Commissio II. There should be signals frd In the international community to encourage these positive developments.
Elizabeth Jarek of Redd Barna stressed that concrete strategies needed to be developed on how to involve children in building al m1 ulti-ethnic democratic - society. The Conventien om the Rights of Children had been passed by the UN, and Sri Lanka should consider becoming a 51ց ոa I try,
Periathani by Rajanayngan said that while fundamentill rights Wete stTengthe ned by the government, in practice there were still many problems, in partiClula T because of the IPTA a Did the Energency Regulations, Many regulations should be declared invalid as they did not directly relate to the purpose for which they were said to b) ccm established. PCT s 55 delliberately inciting Tacial ha tred should be prosecuted
With regard to habeas corpl. the legal process had become tiIne-Consuming, ånd needed to be speelde di Lup, so that cases w Culd be hii indled withil Certain ti III e limit.
The Attorne. playing a doub not independent Imelt. This wat HIld sh tյլյld Էյe
Theats to a be condemned Iment, The cul brought before
The quicstion tion of the jud the North and E Bica Stolte, 1 Executive Boal 5t Tessed the i III initiatives. She Littelution sh Col. Il role Of WOII en lutio Il. Women tant role in alıd fı re Coftcil " up new initiati upon the don 31 recognize this i Nagalingham tanked PRIC) Tneeti Ing. He si: of children is here is al Ille e program mes of I stä Tid . Illti-eth
Human right: part of the con invited journal visit the East. The LT judged on hull since it took protect human
We LTI 11's a spect in Sri LTTE ciliki responsibility gover m ment of the Sinhala role of the maj is crucial. If yw CTk to wird 5, El thЕТе јE ПО Пe to keep its ar.T
As 500II as will to live i North Dd ELS for a multi-et befalind. An i 11 HTy C:D glI: Tä 111 of humain Tig the internation: setting up this may be requ average of the is 36 and they il 5 LI chi Tatte T:
Kumar Rupes session. He is

y General was le Tole, and was of the govern1s imappropriate
Teledied. wyers needed to by the governprits had to be
W.
of the TCSLOTElicial process in ast was crucial. The liber of the rd of NOWIB, Ortrice of local said that II Core i be paid to the in conflict resoplay an imporeace education, he first to take ves. She called רimity ttווןrוG IIים Important Tole.
Satchlithanathan for hosting the aid that the Title important, and for educatini like the II u Ilder
lic society. ; virlitið 115 äre flict. The LTTE
iştsi ild NGC)3 NOT H1 a Tid tille TE coultl bt: an rights issues u p äTT I 1s to rights. Handing s än i Tıp Tita Ilıt Lanka, and the ng) Li esca poc its nor could the ST ILH II kl :: Ill population). The jority community it is willing to political solution cal For the LTTE
1S. there is political In peace in the t, the legal basis hilic society can dependent judicitee the protection hts. Help from al con munity in legal framework ired silice the LTTE fighters lack experience
5, inghe closed the li tilla L PRIC)
had been involved in monitoring
the Sri Lankan conflict for several years and had closely observed its various ramifica
tions. When the government of President Jayaward cinc talked of II ilitarization aПl waГ Н5 а means of resolving the conflict, PRIO was associated With thic
efforts of the intcrational community which called for respect for human rights and
the restoration of pieace. Presi deat Premada sa had expressed a concern for peace and reconciliation whcin he invited the LTTE and the JWP to join the democratic process. The langulage of peace should be respected. The government's initiatives should be supported as long as the language of peace prevails. However, the peace process was extremely fragile and there were forces hostile to peace on either Side of the col flict. If la Ingl IIage of war and hostility persisted the PRIO would continue to exercise its right to express criticis Ill. In In any parts of the World guerrillas are Willing to abandon arms and join the democratic process. This means that people should be provided with alternative security and istit Li tiros whicl1 : ca Il Lima mal Egic the se conflicts i 1 H 1I will en L. way. He recalled the way in LHHLLLLLLL S LL0LHLLLLHSKS HCCLLaa S LHGLaHHS trated in constructing the accelerated Maha weli Pioject-am ir Tigation project of thirty years was completed in six years. Similarly, there should be a T H CCCerated multi-ethnic programme. II ternational Organisations should make this a priority issue and donors should consider ways and Incans of supporting peace making. This requires a new way of thinking by do nors.
The report of the meeting would be published and disseminated widely within STI Lanka. Rupesinghe thanked the sponsors of the report and the conference. The PRIC) staff was thanked for is efforts to orgnize the conference, especially Beth Steiner, Rune Ottosen, Per Olav Maurstad and Arild Ruud for their untiring efforts [ Iuli, ke the Conferon Co El Sill Ccess, and Magne Barth, Susan Hoi'yik, 11 di Berth We Tst:PP) e T1, the rapporteurs.

Page 19
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Page 21
Part
Role of State in Ethni
Urmila Phadnis
AN: revolt against the LInti-de 110 cratic te I de Incies of the state as well as the high caste-class character of its power wielders had found an expressi o il Lle 1971 Silla 1a-Buddilist i Il sul Tection of the WP Which had been quelled with external assistance but the simmerings against the non-democratic, highly centralised and increasingly personalised tendencies of the state persisted as was evident from the resurgence of the IWP in the 1980s.
Underlining the youth unrest had been the politicisation and perception of the abusic of political power by the youth, morc so since 1970 when, with the parliamentary victories involving massive majorities led not only to post election violence but also to the perception that "winIncr takes all'. A Presidential Commission on youth unrest Summed up the perception of the youth vis-a-vis the abuses and excesses of politicisation is follows:
(a) abuse of political power in the recruitment of personnel to the public service;
(b) Inisapplication of political power in the grant of public licence and contract to the Supporters of the ruling рагty;
(c) the abuse of political power ill the undermining of existence democratic institutions; and
(d) political interference in the däy-to-day governmental EidII linistrati II.
As regards the Tamil youth, Such abuses of political power ELIT] 0 Ing - Lihc t Wo do min a ntly Sinhalese Buddhist political parties Was such as to further peripheralise his position im the decision making processes and op
portunity struct alongside the te to the JWP pł Tä Iili 1 disconte I dime11 si o II – an
Citing re Ilmajoritarian th, La Tika stil, LE. M. the JWP at a objective a radic Sri Lill 1 kl Im siti: militants hild i separate Tamil goal on the ple hili-Buddhist di. Sri Lankål stat 5 t) äfft Tid hili: for the Tarihi 1
halve al stake thi with a sense ol lity and justice such a feeling . and deprivation lay in the poli in the post-in which tended to tive and not p
W
This scenari to Illass politi C: in electoral a Tub of such a dividc had co mulgilt in Of thic official lil instead of the and Sinhala is mised by the Sinhalese parti LJimi La di Ntjim: and thic Sri Party (SLFP) o! gated later by move symbolis of the Silhillese El new dignity educated middle religion a Lld la! a strong congll El Sinhala cons by a thrust on ness as Well as wis-a-Wis other munities.

c Conflict in Sri Lanka
LIre5. Howe We T. indencies leading טn, thט 11טm נentו 1t hil Ither ethnic edge - olt against the rtist of the Sri fore so, while 5. Its C5 teIlsible ally restructured i tę, the Timil 5 break-lip - El Eel Lil - as their a that the Si IImination of the e had been such rdly any leeway community to er ein äld to live hOil Cour, e qualTilt. Its if f discriIlli Ila til of the Tails ties of the State dc pendic1 cc era be amalgama|ură listic.
can bc traced i asserting itself eld. The first Sinhallese-Talli The il the proSinhala only as guage in 1956 parity of Ta I mill i had been protwo do II nimantly 2s na inely, the ll Party (UNP)
La Ilka Freieci Jim nly to be abneboth. Such a
:d a Teassertion lationalism and, to itsi Si Thälle 5e ! strata with race, Ing Ll :Hg c pTCoWiding OIIl crat e to such cious les 5 marked its distinctiveits pre-eminence minority Com
being the
While the Burghers, in view of their small numbers found greener pastures in other countries in the wake of such Sinhalese-Buddhist thrust of the Sri Lanka. In state, the Muslims appeared to recocile with such a situation. Besidics, dispersed as they were all over the island (except in the castern region) and with business and trade major a vocation of Ei l:1 rge Inutiber of them, the linguistic-cultural assertion of the majority community did not Create. El major crisis for the IIl.
However, for the Tamils, particula Ty Sri Lankam Tamils of the north, the promulgation of the Sinha les e only Els thic Cofficial language was perceived as catastrophic for subjective as In lich as objective reasons. Denial of Tilmil the official status was perceived as a slur to their language - one of the oldest languages - as much as to their linguistic-cultural disti 1ctiven css. Besides, the status of the Tamils as an advantaged c) In munity hinged on their high shire in governmental jobs as well as some of the other prestigious professions like law and
Imediciile. In the STi Lankal Il situation, with state emerging as the largest eployer, they
feated that with the Tepla cement of Sinha lese ower English as thc official language, their employIII e Tiit prospects would sh Tink, mo Te so because political spoils system, als elsewhere, was in any case bould to restrict their chances. That their fears were well-founded was evident from their shrinking number in gowernment jobs.
Added to this was the Sri La Inka In Tal mills se Tsic of griewi - ance Tegarding, educationı, Colo1lisation and regional autonomy which got increasingly intensive ower the decades. Thus, in the real II of education, with the
19

Page 22
mother tongue being the Inode of communication from school to the University level after 1960, it was bccoming in creasingly difficult for the university educated Tamil youth to cope with the old confidence in the job market.
Worse still, in 1970, soon after coming to power, the United Front Governillent decided to replace merit as the criteria for admission by a system of weightage which worked in favour of Sinhalese students. It introduced a system of standardisation which specified a system of credits which were higher for
students writing in Tallil and
1 ower in the cilise Cf Sinhalles:
a spirants.
The ultimate result of the
quotas and standardisation system was a progressive decline of Tim i 1 stul delt 5 il the scie:Inlçe based courses in which earlier, they had done very well. Though the situation was a meliorated to some extent during the UNP regime, the discriminatory aspects of the SLFP policies were deeply etched in the Tamil psyche.
Alongside educational policies, the land settle II ent or coloInisation policies of the earlier governments were perceived with nistrust. It was mintined by the Tamil 1eadership that the Simhalese dominated State's land settlement policy was it device to dilute the demographic character of the Tamil homeland in the 11th and elst.
Last but not the least Was the issue of regional autonomy. Time and again, the Tamils had sought regional autonomy as a structural IT echia II is 11 t0 amelio Tate their gri eya Ice as well as to provide a certain autonomy in governance at provincial levels. However, since 1956, even whicn these efforts were mina de by the Tulling Tegimes, they tended to be abortive because both the UNP and the SLFP — as and when in opposition - spared no efforts to cash in on Sinhalese Buddhist
O
populist sentim plea being that wards federalisa danger to i natio: abrogation of Bar wanayagam Pact
Tegional Counci and east, the
the formiti
Council during t reiterated the 5:
Though the iI wincial Council: arrived it it is the Illior opp SLFP - boycott tions. The Pro" twicIl when tsL; T1 ("Tt. hea5 teTTh T[:g El functional,
casterm provinci the issues in W. Incretly that of
jurisdiction of th: F Tiyice : credibility and o Inc. i 1, - the in the crcating the Pr i T1 s Ille vyhlt cumstä Ilces, the could hardly ha wities with thc cil aild yice-l'Er,
W
Duri Ing the i 1 if the UNP its policies tow, peared to be EL and coercion, having an edge of national reci. rcls ons for til imability' to cỡ1 Illilitancy Were of contending I solution within and partly due es and pulls opposition party trying, as the in the pil st-t capital rout of through its pol eTice ald at tir Also, the inten: militants sell se was presu Imabil appraised by th despite repeate this point by parliament whic

cits, with the any effort totion signalled a nal unity. The da Tanake-Chelin 1957 in the ls in the north abortive debate on of District lc 60s and 70s Imc story,
ductio Il cof Proin 1988 was noteworthy that osition partydi tiese elecyiicial Collicis ablished in thic il could hardly II, the North2 for instance, lved Weret. It delinea Ling the the Centre Tel but that of the confidence of r. Thus, though lgi1זנן .) iIicialזיך exceptional cirstate leadership ir Thomise its actiPT Wilcial Coll
*1
litial five years gime (1977–83), ards Tamils apmix of cooption With coercil over its promise IČližiti " The Le government's Lälill the Til Illil partly because merceptions for a its own party to the pressurfrom the III ajo T ' — tlic SLFF' — UNP Il fil do Tc make political the ethnic issue litical intrams jgmes ambivalence. sity of the Tamil : of grievance y inadequately e ruling regiIn: di Warnings on te TULF - i h, had emerged
in an unenviable position after 1977 elections. With a bare 18 seats in the legislature of 168 members, it emerged as the largest opposition party. With Eelam being its Imajor clcction slogan, the TULF could hardly perform the old oppositional role in an cra of new typcs of Illilitancy and violence in which the state-initiated and sponsored violence increasingly had - got dead locked with thc violence of the Tamil militants.
While the UNP constitution of 1978 did ascribe Tamil thic status of "national language, it still fell short of the ea IlicT derTnand of the Ta mil federali5t5 for its parity with Sinhala as the official language. Besides, its proposal for the formation of District Development Councils, providing a certain degree of regional autonomy was such as to rupture the TULF with its youth Wing perceiving it as a subversive step vis-a-vis the Eelam. In duc course the moderate Tallis WCre sidet Tacked by the milita Tit: Eel. Il lists.
Moreovci, violence and counter Vicence Look an ethnic turn in 1977, 1979, 1981 and 1983, While the c{}Immu Thäl With lc Th[:[: of 1977 had engulfed large parts of the country, in 1979 it was principally in the northern province. The insurgent's hit and run activities coupled with bank robberies resulted in the proscription of the Tamil Tigers in 1978, the Prevention of Terrorism Act in 1979 and the promulgation of emergency in Jaffna in 1979. During the inSurgency, the high-handedness of police and armed forces kept the ethnic cauldron sim nieTing. And though the Inajor explosion came in 1983, by this time, the dialogue betwee II Colombo and the TULF had virtually broken down, The Tnilitary operations in Jaffna had become increasingly harsher with a sudden swoop Con the civilian 5, a Trest of young mem and even discriminate burning of places (like Jaffna library) and burning of property i particularly when a segment of then

Page 23
was itıccısed by the terrörist killings of their corn patriots.
Thc triggering of the anti Tamil riots on July 20, 1983 after the ambush and killing
of 13 Sinhle se soldiers is al story too well known and well documented highlighting the indifference of the police and LLLLaLLLLLL SLHtLLLLSS SLH La S L K aLaa and the complicity of a sement of the ruling party in thıc killings, looting and burning of the Tai Inils and their property.
The ferocity of the Sinhale se chill Willist elements With tacit approval of the state apparatus Teached such proportions that the entire. Tamil leadership found itself with no option but to flee the north and northeastern provinces and seck refuge in Tamil Nadu. Moreover, with the goveTri ment simultaneously intensifying its milit :1 Ty Operations, thousands of refugees also sought refuge in Tamil Nadu.
This was the preludc for the eII crgence of the India factor in the domestic Sri Lankan ethnic strife. Initially, New Delhi had Watched with Cautious concer in the inability of Colombo to find a negotiated settlement of the Tanil Question with the Sri Lankan Tamil lead Crship. But the events of 1983 were such that the goverment of India could no longer remain a passive spectator be
cause of the arou sal of the
Tati mill sentiments in Tamil
Nädu.
The immediate impetus of
Delhi to act was the July 23rd massacre of Tamils in Colombo and els c whicre in the southern parts of the island. There was a public outcry in Tamil Nadu against these killings with an implicit prodding on the GoverIn ent of India that it should militarily in Sri טון טr WשtוiT Lanka as it had done in the casc cof crst while East Pakistan in 1971. Far from doing so however, the Indian effort was to make an attempt to prevail up on the Government in Sri Lanka not to seek a military solution but to secure a" politically negotiated settlement.
It iceds to that While Indi tailed its staic for the ITitir the isla Ild-State the secession provinces, it hi. from encouragil elect with I besides providii the exte II list e | Nadu to coltii gency activities prellise being Lanka Gower II the security - front were pre security concer the IIndia factOI support which Tecriw cd froIII til Tiates all of in a Slich g cindowment to t Eelam than had
It is in the complex situat II lil nl i Iiitcr Wet Titi his to b c c valu
This phase of relations began Mrs. Ildira Ga Prille Minister, t of getting in theIl Sri Lalitika T Jayewardene wit good offices to finding a negoti of thl: T:lIIli W35 fol) Wed | personal envoy, C to Colombo, ang of thic All Party ewolwc a na til: the Tamil Quest cwer proved abo: subsequcInt atte II
An explanation
Els to be foll had in the incr; of the Sillä |
elements and I e qui al lly int Tam sig the TH Til Ili lit: the LTTE, to a ment. Incidenta |motiwa Lið Til behli T1 hızılcs, ce and 1 hıc - T Wils that any Il ment Would Sub 11 ti-systic Illic ob

be Inted here a publicly II laine Thit it stod d ial integrity of and was against of L1e: Tal Illi 1 d. It refrained ng the separatist material support ng sal Ilctuary to fillelts i El Til Ilil lue their i u Surwith the major that the Sri ile Titos Illið Wes Coil foreign policy judicial to its ls. Added to was also the the Illilitants he Tamil expatwhich resulted TEELT TESOLLEC he struggle for been hitherto.
totality of this in that the C1 il Sri Lanka atted.
[ı dö-Sri Lankanı which the late ndhi, the then bok the initiative to 11 chll with thc PC sit Mr. h the offer het help Colombo ited settlement Question. This by visit of her i. Partha sarathy, the convening " Colfer ccc . t) conses L15 in ion. This howrtive as illst} thL 1 pts.
if this faill Te שוו ל"ו סIl LH גti tון Basing militancy a se chau willist the other, the ent approach of Lints particularly egotiated settlelly, the main bit the Silla nil citre lists Cigantiated settlicwert their stated icctives.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan governTm[:flt Wemt ahead With its : Ở Tensive against the Tamil insurgents and though it did sllcceed to some extent in clearing the eastern province, the stronghold of the LTTE which was the northern province continued to be beyond the reach of the seclı Tity' forces and Colombo's w Tit hardly Tam the Te. With such advantage as the security forces could gain in the Eastern province, the Sri Lankan governIn ent decided to concentrate its forces against the Northern Province which entailed heavy civilia in casualties, particularly in Jaffna. The government had also imposed an economic blockaade in early 1987 which did cause hardship to the civilia Ins. This was the stage in which the government of India's military involvciment began with the symbolic air dropping supplies to the Jaffna peninsula fluuting Sri Lankan airspace.
Whether it was so intended or not, President Jayewardene see Incid to hawe taken this as a sig all of India’s intenti on to comme to the rescue of the Tamils militarily. Forth with Mr. Jayeward cinc app cars to havic considered it to be more prudent to cone to an understanding with India partly because of his apprehensions of a coup against his regime in Sri Linka itself and partly because of his fears of Indial’s inte Iltions als Well als the LI I Willingness of extra-regional powers to get involved in Sri Lanka's ethnic strife partly because of the possible repercussions it might have in their relations with India. Instructively in this regard was a marked tendency on the part of both the super powers to let India handle the situation.
This was the background to the Indo-Sri Lankan . Accord which the thic Princ Mji miste T Rajiv Gandhi sign ed with President Jayewardene in Colombo on July 29, 1987. Under the Accord, Indii lgreed to ScCll Te arms surrender from the Tamil militants while the Sri Lankan
21

Page 24
government agreed to take steps not only to meet the Tamil aspirations for sclf-government but also ta citly to conce de to the demand of the concept of a Tamil hill cland, namely, an amalga mated single unit of Northern and Eilstern Provinces.
THle il III edite i älfte Tuath of the Accord did not see Ill to be conductive to the termination of the conflict between the Sri Länka L Tid the Tallil TT ilit Tits. ОП the mПe Напоl, the LTTE TEfused to go beyond a formal surrender if HTTTIS - :ı idi. Dipli . till: 11 her - it generated a Sinhalese Buddhist backlash with Mr. Jayewardene's Prime Ministe I, M. Premadasa, himself abstaining from the signing ceremony of the Accord. Thus, if the Indian government found itself unable to fulfil it 5 CITI 11 Titelt til 5äT II the milita Tits, except by initia timg military action against the LTTE, Mr. Jayewardene found that the Accord had fueled further the com flagai Tai tion which had been ignited by the TWP by touching the Sinhalese Buddhist seI li tirriments on the raw of El national offence committed by the prese Ice of foreign Toops
Il the Sri Lilla.Il soil
In a rather feeble attempt to head off the JWP's appeal to the -- Sinha lese seti II ents, Mr. Jayewarden's successor, Mr. Prie:Illa kasa, Ina de Lihle with - drawal of the IPKF ble of the major issues in his presidential clection cal III1 paign in 1988.
As it håp Plc ncd, il chHi nge Of government in New Delhi and the El sisuITıption of power by the opposition National Front, which had questioned the wisdom of Mr. Gandhi having committàd Indian troops, to Sri Lanka. helped Mr. Premada så to Tedeem his electoral pledge and the IPKF was duly withdrawn from the is länd in 1990.
Not i llogically, the Te was a congruence of immediate objecLivesi, betwcem MT. - Premad: sa Id the LTTE which häid bec fighting the IPKF as an "army of occupation' in the Tamil h (IIIleländ. After A brief interlude
of unofficial contacts starting in April 1988 Sri Lankan government and the LTTE
2.
leadership decic round to negotiati
a peaceful sett were Sewerill r i J l 1 talks lasting 5
which took plac between governm tives and the LT However, despi tory gestu Tes Of il cluded, the ab Sixth alleld ment tion, dissolution cial Council (wl into being as a re held u nder the IIndo-Sri La Tika fresh provincial LTTE COLIld II () to carry On t successful coll Cll. ship preferred quest for : ti. of the Tamil thic resumption : This quest for thc past had it cli liminatio in kif groups which its sole clilim ççılı from tation Wi a 5 cmc What t Ti'i to jts Lake OW the police stati direct — militiki ry With the EL TIlle 1983 by L. Wit diffelTELÇe. T gesture of Colo been internatic and though the grc) lupis Were in the ratin:ll OF THE LITTE' with Colombo th by the state it evů ke a CTitici: action from t Sinhal ese 15 parties and gro W
Tle TC)|: Of Elle СПf|1ct in Sri L. effect, il m: Ti wa Tills facets i gTisis of the S Embedded in s bc.cn two level: ethnicity. Initi to be mutually was evident frt coalitions and sharing in the power and auth

led to come ions on fin d'ing |lcment, There inds of formal everal in 11ths e in Colombo enti rcp Tiescm talTTE lcalders. tc thic concili lColombo which rogation of the of the Cinisti L u lof the Prowin1ich had come Sullt of electico T1s terms of the Accord) and elections, the t be persuaded he talks to : Isio II. lts leader0 retut I to its 3 tal- dlo IIiimance areas through if its insurgency. r di 1ina Ice in cluded physical All the "Ta nihil were contesting for power. Its th (Colomb do con vial Issue Ieading er of some of ons brought it in confrontation forces is in h one major le conciliatory III bo had already nally publicised Ta min il political sharply divided c or justification 5 confrontation c aerial bombing | title II orth did m of governmet he oppositional well as Tamil Lips. TITI
state in the ethnic Anka has becil, in fcstaion of the if the structural Ti La Tıkan state, uch a crisis have ; cof class and Illy they scened
reinforcing as Im the political atterns of power
institutions of ority of the state
by the elite of the two comIIւլInities,
In the post-independence era, With mass politics gaining ascendancy and the Sinhalese Buddhist lower middle , strata, perceiving itself as deprived as well as discriminated vis-a-vis the alien as well as Illinority group interests, had succeeded in pushing Sri Lankan politics to endow it il majoritarian thrust through the agency of Party politics. Electoral dynamics such that two major political parties to be increasingly partisan and avowedly moving to wa Tids the Sinhalese Buddhist ideology als the ideology of Sri Lankan nation and state,
This was viewed with seri ol 15 concern by the elite of the most forward community for identity assertion as well as group IIlobilisation to safeguard its interests. However, identity, als in the other - cases, has been a significant but mot a su flficient requesite to evoke ethnicity. It was the inter est in power sharing and its manageIIlent that prompted the power elite of the minority community to mobilise an already politically conscious con munity by choosing, selecting and standardising select symbols for its identity assertion and focus a sense of grievance wis-a-Vis the
reference group i. e., the Sinhalese.
Ironically, the ethnicisation
of politics and politicisation of ethnicity was operative in a manner as to make the majorityminority relationship virtually a zero-sum gamic, i particularly since the 70s when the wer Thacular educated lower middle strata of the Tamils belonging to some of the emergent castics like karaiyars decided to revolt against not only the high caste and upper class based Tamil leadership but also against the state power-structure as the JWP had donc eaT lief.
With an overheated polity, a In aldeveloped economy and a Illultiethnic society, the earlier equilibrium of Sri Lankan stateof mediating competing interests through alignments or amalgamation became increasingly tenuous.

Page 25
Contendi Ing perspectives, conflict ing peTceptions and Tiis perceptions I marked the in Crea sing chals Illi () Il tille Colle e Ild of this continuum lay the perspective of the Sri Laikal (i.e., Sinhalese Buddhist) “nation" in siege and Un the ather end er nerged the perspective of Eelain - the wision of a separate Tallil state.
In such a clash of identity and pluralism there is no doubt that majority dominated regimes adopted measures which could hardly mitigate the Tamil sense of grievance and even if they did to some extent, they were hardly inple II ented. Besides, in the Wile activities of the Tanni 1 Secessionists, the government’s Inilitary measures were hardly synchronised with political II heas urTies to El || eo Wiżi tie 50 | 1 1 co of the Tallil dem a Ilds. The militäTy
CCInte IL (f extern L in lILS (In both the sides exacerbited the cleavage. Thus, as regards the
II ilita Ilits their en ham Ced Capi, City and skill to hit the state ippartus led to an increase of aIIIled forces and an escalzited defence expenditure. If such esca 1:1 tibI1 "W": s i [1im1i C :il t () th1e already tot tering economic development of Sri Lanka, in thic case militant groups, the next is of arms with drugs imparted a per Inicious a Ingle to the ethnic 5 trife.
Besides, whether om the Sinhalese or on the Talmi 1 sidiet, the phenomena of political viole Ilce hals bee1 511ch als t enco III pass particulary in Tecent years, the shadowy extra legal vigilante groups o In the Sinhalese side. The subterra Ilean cirrents of political violence hawe been equally strong leading to insulIgent, guerilla like warfare at ran doll, not to north between the speak of the open War being
waged at this juncture in the state forces and the LTTE.
Jinless and until the still:
policies and Inleasures are radically restructured and politically Teoriented, the Sri Lankan forces in the north may at best have a pyrhynic victory. In this respect, major challenge of President Premadasa's Tegime continues to be that of bringing the Tamil in the Tmainsteram politics in order to Tecreate their stakes in the Sri Lankan political
system. Eela. In been an ideolog 111-11t for which lid Cold — halwe and - Çiltique t edge of the is blunted only solution and Ili trily Te CCL1Tsc, il II ost c3f the STi but find themse get it effected. Besides, with minority relati further during t the bridging of as has been sta be brought abo overall gă mut o the State () in thi imper;ltives of Other. It is 11 during the past Musliil commu II too has felt d and insecure as befo Te during the
At present, the is hardly ope: In orth and is east. The first of the mitigat divide las actiry J so I est alıd order aldı
Going by the the other Provi hic Prywingill Set-lip sens concern. To wł what Way call ensure Lhe ins functioning inst ture is goi Ing to challic Inge. Sc3 isi of devolution, t sideration thic as repeated by minister of the raja Peru Inal.
Equally sig ini for all enduring island are the de inter-ethilig gro In this respect quo ta systicI lil fi: will have to be circum spection tensify Jaffna-C and may not, i foster the majori mony either.
S1 Ille of the T of the youth co. lighti Ing the i political interfe

has not only y but a loveTamils - young lost their lives b (io so. The truggle can be hrough political at through milipoint oil which La Ilka, Iis El grete— :lves ha pless to
the majorityonship cleaved he past decade, he et llic diwide Led earlier, ca. In it only in the f the crisis of e C1 e hand ad peace on the te Worthy, that few years the ity in Sri Lanka eeply aggrieved חטWטח 5רןpgIh H post colonial era. state machinery trative il the limping in the prerequisite thus
ion of ethnic e the Iced for or altijo II of law
civil authority. experience of nicial Councills, Hidrili listTitiwe be H g. 3 ing il:ıt textcıl 3 ild in Colombo help Lallation of a itutional strucbe its Illajor the effectivity aking into conla CLII):Le thcrcin the first chief region, Waratha
fica Ilt II1easures * peace in the wices for greater up interaction, , the pro Illised r the II i 11ørities LH ו"יו ל-Lנונrk :1 tרו "יו est it may inolombo cleavage In the long Tun, ty—minority ha r
ecollmendations mmission, highia lage di Lue tc) rence and sopils
system, the mismatch bet w cen employment and education, the Simha les c-Tamil dividc as a result of linguistic do a lisIIl, the racial bias in the buoks, particularly the Sinhalese Ones, the need to harmonisc values of pluralism over identity arc on dլյլIbt cց III mendable but in the civil society of Sri Lanka afflicted by fear of the known unknown adversary and uncertaintics regarding the future, the laws of the jungle se e IIl to atTгнсt the youth more than the year nings for a just and peaceful political order. This is particularly so with the Tamil (and to some extent Sinhalese youth) who have been virtually grown in än cm wire ainment of alielation and aggression with Lhc Collective manifestation being political wicole:Il cc not in circly wisa-wis Sinhala but als 0 Tamils. Not only this, the events during the past years-violation of human rights, "disappearances' and killings of political dissenters – conote a disturbing trend with the state increasingly assuming the features of a "National Security State" as ha 5 happet ned i 1 a 1 u 11ber of Latin American countrics. The collment of the Civil Rights Move пепt in Sri Lanka are pertiment in this respect: the state needs to be particularly circumspect in the use of its coercive power, "If the state acts or is popularly believed to act, with the same degree of contempt for law and hu II a. I wa lules als its Ltdversal ries, hel it under Ilies its (Wil moral, ethical and legal basis'.
With the Non --g) wern Ilmental organisations in Sri Lanka being under continuous pressures fril various quarters, the 'peace conStituency" i 1 Sri Lalin kali meels to be strength cined through collective support and efforts of similar organisations abroad. But
more significantly, in such il task it appears to have all allı bivalcit if Illot a Ilti-thletical relationship with some of the State institutions Which Il eeds Tectification,
Will the state leadership rise
to the ceasil to fulfil its promise of "Iational conciliation, consensus a Id comprolise"? This Ten1 Hins a dau Inti Ing questi 311 which only its performance will windicate in the years to come.
23

Page 26
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