Sri Lankan government's muddied Tiger policy

[bemildred]

This actually seems to be looking good. They don't agree
on much, but they do agree they are sick of the killing, and that
may turn out to be all that is needed. Compromises are made when
the alternative is more war.

As Sri Lanka last week marked the 20th anniversary of a dark event
that changed its destiny, leaving a permanent scar on its body politic
and history, the quest for peace assumed not only added significance
but also added urgency.

July 23, 1983, was a black day that marked a new and bloody
chapter in Sri Lanka's history, when 13 Sinhala soldiers were killed
by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), sparking off Sri
Lanka's worst ever race riots. Twenty years later and after 65,000
deaths, the national question remains unresolved though a fragile
ceasefire between the government and the LTTE keeps the country
suspended between war and peace.

A couple of weeks ago, the people feared that the country would be
plunged back to war. The navy's sinking of a rebel ship believed to
be carrying weapons, the setting up of an LTTE camp in the
government-controlled area, the LTTE's refusal to abide by the ruling
of Scandinavian truce monitors, the continued killings of members of
Tamil parties opposed to the LTTE and of military informants, and the
government's arms-buying mission to Israel, prompted questions as to
whether the country had been dragged back to the brink of war.

Although the majority Sinhala community is irked by the LTTE's
uncompromising posture vis-a-vis many a contentious issue, none,
save a few hardline parties and groups, wants a return to open
hostilities. The 20 years of war have cost the country more than 600
billion rupees (US$6 billion) in terms of defense expenditure alone.
Economist SS Colombage has been quoted in a recent article as
saying that if not for the war, Sri Lanka's growth rates would have
been 7 to 8 percent and the per capita income around US$2,000 by
now, instead of the present $870.

Asia Times

[LeftistGorilla]

1. with so much...

distrust and shady operations by both sides... it's a miracle peace has lasted as long as it has... of course... this is Sri Lanka and war could break out at any time...

[bemildred]

2. Yeah.

I watch this one regularly, and games are played, but
there have been a number of opportunites to get back to
the war, and nobody seems to want to go there, so I have hope.
Some problems you don't fix, you just outlive them.

[LeftistGorilla]

3. true..

you just outlive them

but I can see a build up of anger and distrust (not that they ever trusted each other) and just a huge explosion of hate and war disapating... almost like the second intifada... war was daily life in Sri Lanka... it's not hard to see it go back...

lets all hope it doesn't....