Rebuilding north and train to Jaffna….

"If the President is sincere about restoring democracy in the North, he should listen to broader Tamil opinion from all sections of the community such as doctors, lawyers and professors."
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by Vipul

(January 08, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The capture of the former administrative capital of the LTTE by Sri Lankan armed forces represents an important point in the 25-year war that has divided Sri Lanka.

The voices of unarmed moderate Tamils should become louder at this critical juncture.

The news about Seylan Bank has also raised fears that global credit crisis also could add to the turmoil in Sri Lanka in 2009.


The government’s economic woes are being compounded by a crisis in the banking and finance sector.

Sri Lanka will have to borrow more if the trade deficit is going to be higher in 2009, say analysts.
The warning follows the Central Bank's announcement that Sri Lanka's trade deficit for the first 11 months of 2008 widened nearly 65 per cent to $5.5 billion, while the end-November gross foreign currency reserves fell to 1.7 months of imports.

Time is crucial to stop the destruction and seek progress and prosperity for an undivided island.

Tamils must be made to feel that they have a stake in Sri Lanka and that they can live in dignity.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa tried to portray the fall of Kilinochchi as a victory of all the peoples. But these words will ring hollow if the historic grievances of the Tamils which surely were the root causes of insurgency are not addressed.

The president spoke in very solemn terms about national reconciliation in his speech and he should not permit parochial issues such as upcoming provincial council elections to come in between his higher objectives.

Law-abiding citizens would expect him to work towards restoring safe rail transport between Colombo and Jaffna to be restored as soon as possible as a key step building bridges between the North and the South.

In a statement after the fall of the northern stronghold, the US embassy in Colombo said it did not advocate that the government of Sri Lanka negotiate with the Tigers.

The US, however, rightly highlighted the fact that it believes that a lasting, sustainable peace can best be achieved if the Sri Lankan Government works now to reach a political solution that addresses the aspirations of all Sri Lankans, including Tamils, Muslims, and Sinhalese.

That should be the hope of Sri Lanka's civilised society.

Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon also stressed the need for negotiations in the wake of the developments in the northern battlefront.

Colombo will, of course, be unable to resist the temptation of making political capital out of the military successes.

But the ethnic conflict predates the LTTE, which is a symptom and not the cause of the conflict.

The All Party Representative Committee (APRC) and parliament should engage themselves in serious efforts that would further delegitimise and erode the support of separatist forces in Sri Lanka and abroad.

It has to be pointed out that ethnic Tamils’ longstanding unresolved grievances with the Colombo-based government have made the community fertile ground for insurgency.

Debate continues over whether Tamils should favour devolution at all costs, or less devolution if it means greater access to resources from Colombo that could help economic development.

Militancy and so-called counter-insurgency operations are proving far too expensive in terms of Tamil lives and resources.

There is no doubt that development with foreign aid can help heal old wounds and would promote reconciliation.

Devolution is a good topic for politicians. But the common man is yearning to enjoy the fruits of globalsation with a focus on good food, shelter and clothes.

The people of the Wanni have long suffered. They have to be rehabilitated and made human again, having been condemned to sub-human conditions.

Decision-makers in Colombo must show a commitment to putting in place income generating avenues and employment generation avenues so that the resettlement of refugees in the North would be sustainable.

This step gains significance because the Eastern Provincial Council has already started agitating for the exercise of devolved powers by the council under the Constitution.

The National Patriotic Centre affiliated to the JVP is meanwhile attacking the government for trying to bring in devolution proposals which “help strengthen separatism” even as the International community mounts pressure on Colombo that it should revive the peace process.

Analysts point out that Colombo’s proscription of the Tigers could be a pre–emptive strike to prevent pressure from some foreign countries to resume talks with the insurgents.

The government has banned the group one year after it unilaterally withdrew from the February 2002 ceasefire agreement with the Tigers.

In a media interview this month, Human Rights and Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe has said the challenge is to make the environment in and out of Kilinochchi safe by taking away the landmines and other explosive devices which have been put in there.

Water sanitation and electricity should be restored, he rightly pointed out.

The minister said that the government had already started talking to the UN and others about assisting it in the post-conflict programmes.

There is an urgent need to restore normalcy in the Northern Province.

If the president is sincere about restoring democracy in the North, he should listen to broader Tamil opinion from all sections of the community such as doctors, lawyers and professors.

That is the best way to win the hearts and minds of people. There are complaints about the presence of various Tamil militia groups in Jaffna. - Sri Lanka Guardian