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Sultana Sharmin Jahan Conflict Prevention in Post-War Sri Lanka

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Sultana Sharmin Jahan Conflict Prevention in Post-War Sri Lanka Sultana Sharmin Jahan Conflict prevention in post-war Sri Lanka: Obstacles and the way forward University of Tampere School of Social Sciences and Humanities Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI) Master Programme in Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research Specialization in Peace and Conflict Research Supervisor: Marko Lehti Academic Director University of Tampere May 2015 University of Tampere School of Social Science and Humanities Tampere Peace Research Institute SULTANA SHARMIN JAHAN: Peaceful change in post war Sri Lanka: Obstacles and the way forward. Master‟s Thesis, 107 pages Master Programme in Peace Mediation and Conflict Research May 2015 Abstract After the end of the devastating protracted civil war, Sri Lanka is undergoing through a comprehensive post war preventive peace building process. These post war efforts in the country reveal a unique approach of contemporary conflict prevention enterprise in the context of the way the government conducts its post war activities. The emergence of the victors‟ peace situation poses question towards the conflict prevention paradigm, which does not give any clear guidance to prevent relapse and establish sustainable and positive peace in such a context where the victors lacks a political will to address the root causes of conflict through political reform and to use the conflict prevention process as a medium of building trust. The purpose of the research is to see how conflict prevention has been carried out in post war Sri Lanka and examine whether it is effective to establish sustainable peace and prevent relapse of conflict or not. The research is based on the case study of the various conflict prevention efforts taken by different actors. The study is conducted as a comparative study of theory and case to simplify the research and draw conclusions which can question or support some of the existing practical efforts in Sri Lanka in particular and theoretical approach in general. i As a methodology the research applies the theoretical framework of conflict prevention which covers not only conflict resolution but also prevent the relapse of conflict. The research is designed to address the question of conflict prevention in Sri Lanka as well as to reveal the deficiencies of the theory in resolving this type of post war situation. The research proves that the existing theory does not give much guidance to post war situation of victor‟s peace. Therefore, it requires more research for a successful policy recommendation in such a situation. Keywords: post war Sri Lanka, preventive peacebuilding, conflict prevention, sustainable peace, relapse of conflict. ii Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….1 Chapter 1. Methodological basis………………………………………………………………………7 1.1. Justification of methodology………………………………………………………….. 10 1.2. Theoretical framework….……………………………………………………..……….12 1.3. The limitations of methodological perspective……………………………………...…14 Chapter 2. Theoretical analysis of conflict prevention measures…………..……………………….16 2.1. The concept of conflict prevention.............................................................................. 16 2.2. Sustainable peace through justice and reconciliation ................................................... 24 2.3. Addressing the root causes as preventive instrument ................................................... 29 2.4. Addressing human security as an instrument of Conflict prevention…………………..…34 2.5. Adoption and implementation of conflict prevention instruments……………………. 38 2.5.1. The role of actors for effective conflict prevention………………………………38 2.5.2. Adoption of the method of addressing root causes…………………………….. 40 2.5.3. Implementation of reconciliation process ……….…………………………….. 42 2.5.4. International involvement in conflict prevention……..………………………….43 Chapter 3. Historical background and causes .................................................................................. 45 3.1. Language as a source of conflict……….…................................................................. ..47 3.2. Religion as the source of ethnic division and conflict…................................................51 3.3. Education and ethnic conflict…………………………………………………….……53 3.4. The issue of land and ethnic conflict…………………………………………….……. 55 3.5. Non-negotiability of state power devolution………………………….………………. 55 3.6. Human rights violation………………………………………………………………... 57 3.7. Global power struggle and geopolitical importance of Sri Lanka…….………………….. 57 iii Chapter 4. Assessment of preventive measures in post-war Sri Lanka ........................................... 60 4.1. Demilitarization or militarization ................................................................................ 61 4.2. Political reform and transformation ............................................................................ 66 4.3. Justice and reconciliation ............................................................................................ 71 4.4. Denial of multi ethnicity……………………………………………………………… 75 4.5. Reconstruction and development………………………………………………………78 4.6. Resettlement and living conditions……………………………………………………. 80 4.7. The actors of conflict prevention and efforts ................................................................ .84 4.7.1. Sri Lankan government‟s action……………………………………......................84 4.7.2. External nation-state actors ................................................................................. .87 4.7.3. Non-state actors and organizations ...................................................................... .92 Chapter 5. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………..94 Map of Sri Lanka……………………………………………………………………………101 List of references……………………………………………………………………………102 iv Introduction The South Asian island country Sri Lanka has witnessed world„s one of the most protracted and brutal internal armed conflicts prolonged for 26 years, which ended up in May 2009 by the declaration of the government victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). This bloody war worth of thousands of lives raises important questions what is this war for? Does this end of the war truly mean the end of conflict? Is it the beginning of sustainable peace or is there a potential for the conflict to relapse? Sri Lanka is a plural society, where majority are the Sinhalese, who are mainly Buddhist. Minority and indigenous groups include Sri Lankan Tamils, Indian Tamils, Muslims, Veddhas and Burghers. However, from the very beginning of independence in 1948, the divide line between majority and minority groups became evident. This discrimination gets more explicit by the ideology of Sinhala nationalism commenced under the leadership of (Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike) S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike. Constitution, education, employment, human rights; in all section Tamil people were oppressed (MRG, 2009). Tamils and to some extent Muslims have faced targeted human rights violations including extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, torture of opponents, denial of political aspirations and negation of civil and political rights (MRG, 2009). In response to these oppression Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam, (LTTE) formed in 1976. Marginalization and human rights abuses led to increasing militant attacks against State targets. The state backed pogrom against Tamils in the capital city Colombo and in other urban areas in July 1983 resulted to thousands of killings and several hundred thousand displaced. This is seen as a turning point in the Sri Lankan conflict leading to a full blown out war between Tamil militant groups and the largely Sinhala Buddhist Sri Lankan army (MRG, 2009). There were many efforts to peace talk, among government and LTTE, initiated by them and sometimes facilitated by third parties, but none of them saw the light of success. All these deficiencies along with the persecution resulted to the devastating war. On 20 January 2009, the Sri Lankan army began the so called humanitarian operation in the area of Vanni in the north of the county comprising two districts, Kilinochchi and Mullaittivu, and parts of the districts of Jaffna, Mannar and Vavuniya (Vella andValcárcel, 2009, p.1). The 1 military campaign cornered LTTE rebels on a narrow strip of beach of only 24 square kilometers, together with 250,000 civilians which the LTTE used as human shields (The Guardian, 2009). Over 20,000 deaths occurred between January 20 and May 19 (Human Rights Watch, 2009). The exhausted people who managed to escape from the combat zone are still being detained in so-called welfare villages controlled by the army and surrounded by barbed wire. Research work operated by Minority rights group revealed that in post war Sri Lanka there are government attempts to change the demographic patterns of Tamil and Muslim areas through various land redistribution schemes, the proliferation of Buddhist religious symbols in minority- populated areas, the weakening of Tamil and Muslim political parties, and the clampdown on minority politics and civil society (MRG, 2011 p.7). Land is being demarcated and sold for tourism projects as a part of development projects which is considered as a means of conflict resolution by the government. However, the report argues that, a little has been done to the promotion and protection of minority rights and freedoms; a serious and credible effort towards justice, accountability and reconciliation; and a genuine attempt to present a political solution that would satisfy
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