AggieMUN III Sri Lankan Civil War Letter From the Chair Distinguished delegates: It is my pleasure to welcome you all to AggieMUN 2016’s Sri Lankan Civil War Crisis Council! I am Radhika Iyer and I have the honor of being your Head Chair this year. Currently I’m a third year Microbiology Major and pursuing Global Disease Biology and Art Studio minors at UC Davis. I started MUN in my freshman year of college and have enjoyed it immensely. My experiences at Davis MUN have given me a broader insight of the world around us. Most importantly however, it has given me the opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds having various ambitions and passions and, I hope, that as delegates you too can experience that at AggieMUN! The Sri Lankan Civil War was a devastating event that culminated from several attempts by a country trying to reestablish its identity post-independence, and coming to terms with having two dominant languages and cultures. It is a recent war that ended in 2009 and, even today, Northern parts of Sri Lanka continue to experience the aftermath of the conflict. In this committee, as delegates, you will be thrown into a government that now has to deal with shifting ideologies and public dissent due to a rising terrorist threat. My hope is that as a committee you will be willing to tackle these issues and come up with a reasonable solution to regain peace to your government. Wish you all the best of luck and I look forward to seeing you all in committee! Radhika Iyer If you have any concerns or questions about the committee, crisis topic, or debate flow, please contact me at “email” Letters From the Co-Directors To the delegates: I would like to welcome you all to AggieMUN III’s Sri Lankan Civil War committee! First of all, I am Hugo Rios, one of the co-directors for our committee. I am a fourth-year International Relations major (as are many of us in MUN) with an emphasis on Western Europe. I have always held a strong interest in the world’s affairs and its history in particular, as I believe the lessons of the past can be applied to the issues of the present. My journey with MUN would begin as a sophomore attending Diablo Valley College and the next two years would consist of some of the best college experiences primarily as a delegate. Some delegates can relate with my own experience of not being much of a public speaker at first but through practice and utilizing those skills in committees, it becomes easier and interesting. Therefore, to the novice delegates out there, I believe in you. In my free time, I tend to be quite a chill person who enjoys sports (primarily viewing soccer and baseball), hanging out with friends, travelling, drinking (drinks are on me; just kidding), gaming, and art. Sri Lanka is indeed a country that is unfamiliar to the vast majority of us at first. But through studying its history and the civil war especially, one can see that Sri Lanka has a connected historical background to its South Asian neighbors due to British colonial policies and its post- colonial events. With divisions between not only the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils but the Sri Lankan government and its allies as well, delegates must seek to remend these divisions within Sri Lankan society while formulating a plan to restore peace to the island. Whether the plan is carried out through peaceful means or via force, the committee as a whole shall incur the consequences if its plan is detrimental to progress in Sri Lanka. Above all, good luck, Hugo Rios Questions about the committee or your role? Contact me at the following email: [email protected] Letters From the Co-Directors To our distinguished delegates, I would first like to welcome you to AggieMUN 2017 and express my gratitude for your joining us in this committee. My name is Nicholas Archibald, and I am your other Co-Director for this committee. I am a second year History and Political Science Double Major, and this will be my second year with Model United Nations. Overall, even with my experiences with MUN so near the very beginning , they have already greatly enriched my college experience with many new friends, things to learn, and ways to challenge myself to become a better speaker, leader, and thinker. My favorite subjects of study have always been history as well as politics on a global scale. Not only do I wish to better understand the workings of international relations, I enjoy piecing together how history has affected politics and the events that have unfolded around the world. I enjoy writing creatively, and have for many years, and it is my hope that I will be able to help create a memorable experience for all with an engaging story of events that you will largely affect and write yourselves. The Sri Lankan Civil war is no different in how the history of the island nation ties so intimately into the causes and the conflict itself. It is my hope that the history shall both better inform your decisions and thoughts, as well as being a powerful and interesting tool to enrich your knowledge of the world and find unique solutions to the complex problems before you. A saying I have always held close and found true is that history is written by the victors. I encourage you to keep your mind open and consider the history of the conflict as well as the topics debated through all perspectives, and to not be adverse to being convinced, or stepping up to persuade others to your point of view. While I know that the prize of the gavel or commendations is high in your sights in these committees, I hope that you can also look past this and be driven by the experiences of bettering yourselves and making new friends. Overall, I hope you enjoy this committee and bring your best. Best wishes, Nicholas Archibald PS: Questions? You can contact me at [email protected] Introduction Sri Lanka, a former colony of the once-prestigious British Empire known as Ceylon, is a divided island. Achieving its independence, Sri Lanka would divide itself socially between the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamils. As the British encouraged divisions between ethnic groups through policies favoring certain groups, the Sinhalese would be the ones to enjoy most of the nation’s benefits while the Tamils faced discrimination. Tensions between the two ethnic groups escalate the point of violence in the 1980s and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is formed in response by Tamil nationalists seeking to create the independent state of Tamil Eelam in the country’s north. For the people of Sri Lanka, the beginning of a series of civil wars would burden their nation. Procedure Debate Structure: The committee will run in a perpetual moderated caucus. Time will not run linearly during committee; delegates will receive updates on times and dates from the head chair. At the beginning of committee, delegates will receive a list of powers, resources, and additional information about their respective characters as well as a full report of the current situation that the Sri Lankan government faces. Delegates are expected to come into committee with a full understanding of their character, their past actions and his or her abilities. Further information on the extent of the delegate’s powers is outlined in detail later on in this topic guide. During debate, the crisis directors will give periodic updates regarding the current status, the actions of individual delegates, and the effects of directives. Language: All proceedings shall be conducted in English. Delegates wishing to address the committee in any other language must provide for translation. Devices: Delegates are not permitted to use laptops, smartphones, or other electronic devices while the committee is in session. However, permission to do so briefly may be granted to individual delegates by the Chair upon request. Time: The flow of time in committee will be variable and change based on actions taken by the committee. Attire: All delegates must wear western business attire. Administration: The proceedings of the committee will be moderated by the dias staff consisting of chair and his/ her various vice chairs. Decorum: The Chairman fully expects all members of his high command to behave courteously during the proceedings of committee. If any committee members engage in ad hominem attacks the chair may recognize a right of reply if submitted in writing by a delegate. RULES OF DEBATE Flow of Debate Moderated Caucus: The default form of debate will be a perpetual moderated caucus with 1 minute 30 second speaking times. Delegates are welcome to motion a moderated caucus with a specific time limit and on a particular topic. Unmoderated Caucus: Unmoderated caucuses, during which the Chair does not moderate the proceedings, are to be used as a time for lobbying for support and drafting of committee documents. They can be started or extended by motions to do so. Points: There are four points that may be raised by all delegates: Point of Order: A Point of Order may interrupt a speaker, and can be raised when the delegate believes the rules of procedure have been violated. The chair will stop the proceedings of the committee and ask the delegate to provide warranted arguments for which rules of procedure has been violated. Point of Personal Privilege: A Point of Personal Privilege may be raised when a delegate’s ability to participate in debate is impaired for any physical or logistical reason (for instance, if the speaker is not audible).