BackSri Lanka on the mend
Sri Lanka has hinted at a new probe into human rights violations in the last phase of the conflict with the LTTE that ended in 2009
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The Maithripala Sirisena government in Sri Lanka has hinted at a new probe into human rights violations in the last phase of the conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that ended in 2009.
This is a good start but one that should not slow the demilitarization of northern Sri Lanka where the Tamil minority lives. Much more important than a new inquiry is the rehabilitation of Tamils who lost much in that war. The army occupies much of the land belonging to Tamils. This should end.
The country’s original problem is political. Ruled in a unitary fashion, Sri Lanka’s minorities—concentrated in the north and the east—feel disenfranchised. The only way to prevent a dangerous ignition of separatist passions again is to involve the Tamils in power-sharing. Sirisena’s options may be limited in that respect as the Sinhalese majority won’t take to that kindly.
But the new president should certainly help Tamils rebuild their lives as a first step.
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