The threat of terrorism abates, and for the Sinhalese, life in Sri Lanka has taken an unbelievably good turn. Whereas government-approved Sri Lankan journalists are debating what their new cover stories will be¹, other media sources, such as foreign media and journalists who disagree with the government, are wondering whether Mahinda Rajapaksa will actually uphold his promise to end the violence and help assimilate the Tamil population.

The rest of the world watches and waits as well. Humanitarian organizations and other supranational watchdogs are keeping a close eye on the processing of Tamil refugees and the rights afforded to them under the Sinhalese government.

According to Amnesty International, at least 300,000 Tamil Sri Lankans are interned in refugee camps in northern Sri Lanka. Although it is not out of the ordinary for refugees to be placed in camps, it is abnormal that this placement ignores international humanitarian standards. The Sri Lankan government is effectively holding the refugees indefinitely in the refugee camps because they might be criminals.

The reason given by the government is that it must screen each prisoner to make sure they are not part of the Tamil Tigers. With the rumours and allegations of how the Sri Lankan government is currently treating the refugees, a democratic union in which Tamils have civil rights in Sri Lanka seems far away.  Foreign media has been banned from covering the situation, and journalists, humanitarian lawmakers, and other such individuals are often threatened with bodily harm for disagreeing with the regime’s decisions and policies. Without reliable accounts of the status of the Tamil refugees, it is difficult to predict Sir Lanka’s trajectory.

In recent polls in the northern territories of Sri Lanka (formerly under the hold of the Tamil Tigers), the ruling UPFA, the United Peoples Freedom Alliance, won a slim majority. However, there are allegations² that the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) has forced the 10% population that did vote to vote for the UPFA. But there have been no reports of violence at the polls in the official media.

The situation in Sri Lanka at the moment is very murky. The world cannot celebrate the success over terrorism with Sri Lanka because there are so many questions to be asked about where Sri Lanka is headed in terms of relocating and settling the refugees, civil reforms, and demilitarizing the policies towards the Tamil population.

The best result from this conflict is that Sri Lanka has managed to disarm one of the most innovative terrorist groups in the world. The LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) is thought by academics to be the most successful, lethal, and creative leading terrorist groups to exist. The FBI concurs with this analysis³. This is a bonus for all countries struggling with the threat of terrorism, because no longer will the LTTE put out new techniques and attacks for others to mimic. But this success in military conflict cannot be the end of the entire struggle between the Tamil Sri Lankans and the Sinhalese.

Rajapaksa has determined that he will address the political concerns of the Tamil people only after the new election, which does not occur until January.  This is problematic because people are languishing in war-torn northern Sri Lanka, and the refugees are stuck in internment camps, supposedly for another 180 days. As people succumb to disease in the refugee camps and lose hope of a future in united Sri Lanka, the Sinhalese celebrate their victory over the LTTE.

The jury is still out on Sri Lanka’s handling of the new situation, but it does not look good. Mahinda Rajapaksa came into office in Sri Lanka running on a platform of peace, but once he assumed office, he allied himself with the nationalist Sinhalese party, the JVP (Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna) and broke down the peace process.  Perhaps Rajapakse will honour his platform this time around, and move forward from the violence of last year.What determines Sri Lanka’s success is not only removing the threat to its people, but also uniting the Tamils and the Sinhalese, the north and the south.

Footnotes:

1. With End of War, Media Shifts Focus, http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48049

2. Massive Abstention in Sri Lankan Local Elections, http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/aug2009/slel-a12.shtml

3. Ruthless LTTE Most Dangerous Extremists, http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Ruthless-LTTE-most-dangerous-extremists-FBI/260325/