|
General
Sri Lanka is an island nation, Situated off the southeast coast of India and in size is 65610 sq. kilometers (25,332 sq. miles). The estimated population is approximately 18 million.
Population
It is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multi-cultural country. The majority community are the Sinhalese (74%); the minority communities are the Tamils (13%), Indian Tamils (Tamils of more recent origin) 6%, Moors, and very small number of Burghers (people of European decent), and Malays etc.
The majority religious group are the Buddhist (69%), followed by the Hindus (15%), Muslims (8%), and Christians (7%). Of the Christians, the majority (nearly 85%) are Roman Catholic.
While the different racial and religious groups have lived at peace with much tolerance most of the time, at different periods in the history of Sri Lanka there have been conflicts between racial and sometimes religious groups.
Economy
Sri Lanka's economy has been traditionally an agricultural one and until about 30 years ago, 85% of the country's foreign exchange earnings were obtained from the export of tea, rubber, and coconuts. In recent years, however, with a degree of industrialization and the establishment of special export processing zones, garments replaced tea as the number one foreign exchange earner. The country is also promoted as a major tourist destination, particularly in Europe. Today, the remittances of earnings by Sri Lankan workers abroad is the largest contributor to the foreign exchange earnings of the country, There are nearly 750,000 Sri Lankans working in many parts of the world, most of them in the Middle East and a majority of them are women.
The Ethnic Problem
The most critical problem facing the country today is the ethnic problem, where a small army of guerrilla fighters (the LTTE), claiming to represent the Tamil people of the island, have been engaged in war with the governmentÕs security forces in the north and east of the country, with the objective of setting up a separate Tamil nation. This fierce war, which is now in its 17th year, has been fought at the cost of around 60,000 thousand lives on both sides (including the lives of nearly 1,500 Indian soldiers during the years 1987 to 1990, when the Indian government was involved in trying to tame the LTTE).
Many of the casualties have been innocent civilians, both Sinhalese and Tamil, and indeed Muslims also, caught up in this vicious war. Thousands of civilians living in border villages and those living in the north and the east have fled their homes and are today refugees in their own country. Many have swelled the refugee populations in Western countries. Some of them willingly, and many unwillingly, contribute to the war effort of the LTTE. It is estimated that in Sri Lanka there are over 750,000 refugees. However, it must be mentioned that while the 'ethnic war' is being fought fiercely, many Tamils live among the Sinhalese in the south quite peacefully. On the other hand both Sinhalese and Muslims who lived in the north have been forcibly driven by the LTTE from the 'Tamil homelands.'
The background to this most recent outbreak of violence, between the majority community and the largest minority group are the actions of successive post independence governments (post 1948), which the Tamils perceived as being discriminatory. These relate to actions in areas such as education, language policy, university admissions, employment in the public (govt.) sector etc. From the majority's point of view, such policies/legislation only attempted to right the wrongs committed against the majority (both religious and racial) over 450 years of colonial domination. During the colonial period, Tamils as a racial group and Christians as a religious group were far more privileged and favored than the majority community. The two main political parties that have governed Sri Lanka since independence often struck deals with the political parties that represented Tamil opinion, particularly before elections to obtain electoral support to form governments, but once installed in power reneged on such promises. Finally, this situation resulted in the formation of militant Tamil opinion and many groups who vowed to take up arms to fight for a separate Tamil state. These groups also fought amongst themselves and some gave up arms and joined main stream politics and the LTTE has emerged as the sole surviving armed group, having eliminated all others.
Many moderate Tamil leaders have also been assassinated by the LTTE. During these years of war, many attempts have been made to come to the negotiating table. There have been at least three separate attempts, and all proved futile, with the LTTE calling off talks and again resorting to war. The general perception is that the LTTE will come to the negotiating table only when it is militarily weakened, to buy time to reorganize and regroup. The LTTE has been responsible for the assassinations of a number political leaders, including President Premadasa of Sri Lanka and Rajiv Gandhi of India. There have also been a number of atrocities against civilians, a bomb attack on the nationÕs holiest Buddhist shrine, and last year, the LTTE is widely suspected of downing a civilian aircraft with 54 persons on board (mainly Tamil) to force the airline to stop its passenger service to the north. Therefore, there is a very strong view in the south that they are only a terrorist organization and must be eliminated by military force.
The Role of the Church
The Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant churches, including the Anglican Church (represented by the National Christian Council), have urged both the government and the LTTE to get back to the negotiating table as this problem is never going to be resolved by war. Many groups, including friendly governments, have urged that both sides agree to third party mediation. The government, having first rejected this idea outright, now seems to be agreeable to using the services of an acceptable third party as facilitator.
In the last round of peace talks in 1995, when it appeared that the talks were not progressing as expected, the Anglican Bishop of Colombo, the Rt. Rev. Kenneth Fernando, joined the last government delegation to visit the north and talk to the LTTE. While this decision was questioned by some, the bishop has very clearly indicated that the issue of bringing peace to Sri Lanka is so important that individuals and the church must take certain risks.
APJN visit. It was a great source of joy and encouragement for the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka, and particularly the Anglican Church, to welcome the delegation of the APJN to Sri Lanka in June 1998. We believe that this visit helped the APJN to understand just how complicated the issues are. The fact that all the main religions of the world are practiced in Sri Lanka could indeed be immensely helpful in building a spiritual base on which to promote peace, as suggested in the APJN report.
The country is indeed weary of war, but we have not seen, until very recently, a popular movement for peace. In this context, the large peace rally held in Colombo on February 26, 1999, was very encouraging. It was organized by The National Alliance for Peace, a coalition of more than 150 social justice groups, trade unions etc. This rally was addressed by religious leaders and others who had earlier in the month visited the Wanni area in the north which is LTTE controlled territory and met with very senior LTTE leaders. They received a positive response from the LTTE. The delegation included very respected and senior Buddhist clergy, a Roman Catholic bishop, and the Anglican Bishop of Colombo, the Rt. Rev. Kenneth Fernando, among others.
Other Issues
Human Rights. When the APJN team visited Jaffna in the north, it was soon after the assassination (by the LTT E) of the mayor of Jaffna, who had recently been elected. Her successor was assassinated a few months later. The APJN team traveled to Jaffna in a civilian airliner. This was the only means of transport available to the north. A few months later, this same flight was shot down with 54 passengers and crew aboard. It is believed that this attack was staged by the LTTE, who wanted these flights stopped.
When the APJN team visited the government's Human Rights Commission, we were informed of the disappearance of a number of people in Jaffna since the government repossessed the area. It was alleged by a soldier (who was tried and convicted for the rape and murder of a schoolgirl in Jaffna.) that many people had been killed and their bodies buried by the army in an area called Chenunani - close to a local army camp. After some initial investigation, the government is now excavating this area with foreign forensic experts. A legal inquiry has been instituted to determine whether or not this allegation is true.
Migrant Workers. The social problems that have arisen as a result of the large number of Sri Lankans working abroad are widespread. There are many single parent families. The abuse to which many of these women are subjected in their work situations in foreign countries is another aspect of the problem.
Tourism. Undoubtedly tourism has brought many benefits to Sri Lanka and indeed the country has a lot to offer to the bona fide visitor. However, tourism, has also resulted in certain negative developments. Of particular concern is the sexual exploitation of children, very often by organized pedophile networks operating largely from Western countries. It is heartening that many tourist generating countries have recognized this problem and have enacted legislation that will enable offenders to be prosecuted on their return home for offences committed abroad.
The government of Sri Lanka has last year introduced the National Child Protection Authority bill in Parliament in order to further safeguard the rights of children. The punishment for child abuse and similar offences has been further enhanced.
Violence in Society. Today we are witnessing an unprecedented increase in violent crime. In most parts of the country, the police admit that there is an increase in serious crime. Many would blame this situation on the large number of deserters from the army. In an army of close to 100,000 men and women, there are nearly15,000 deserters (some armed). In the LTTE controlled areas, a large number of their recruits are children, some barely 12 years old. These children have only experienced war. When peace finally comes, there will have to be a major undertaking to rehabilitate these young people so that they can be useful citizens.
Landmines. On the Jaffna peninsula, which was occupied by LTTE forces for many years before being recaptured by government forces in 1996, there have been a large number of casualties as a result of landmines. The United Nations sponsored program to remove landmines has yet to get off in earnest in the Jaffna area.
Election Violence. At an election held to elect the Provincial Council of the Northwestern Province, the country saw unprecedented violence and the flouting of the election laws of the country, including stuffing of ballot boxes, by armed gangs. A great deal of importance and prestige was attached to the winning of this election. Volunteer independent groups monitored the election and declared that the results should be cancelled. Religious leaders also denounced the results. It would appear that government supporters and candidates were largely responsible for the offences. The government, having first questioned the bona fides of the monitoring groups, now appears to accept that there was widespread fraud. Although the provincial administration was sworn in, the election has been challenged in the Supreme Court. The President has summoned a multi-party monitoring committee to ensure a free and fair election in five other provinces where elections arc scheduled in April.
Decriminalizing Homosexuality. Under the penal code of Sri Lanka, homosexuality is a criminal offence. While various groups speaking for gay rights have requested decriminalizing homosexuality, the government has not responded positively to this request. Religious leaders have spoken out against homosexuality and generally appear to be against legalizing it.
Poverty. Fifty percent (50%) of all Sri Lankans live below the poverty line. In a country where scarce resources are being diverted for the war effort, this is not surprising. The social policies of all governments since independence have ensured a population that is relatively well educated, healthy, and with life expectancy figures which compare with those of the developed world. However, with the war using up many of the resources available to the country and the structural adjustments instituted by the World Bank also increasing the burdens on the poor, they are seriously at risk in steadily deteriorating conditions.
|
