Can Sri Lanka Achieve Durable Peace with the Tamils After Defeating Tamil Tigers?

Abstract

Sri Lanka is a multiethnic, culturally and structurally pluralistic society. The majority of the population is Sinhalese (74%). There are significant Sri Lanka Tamil (12.7%), Indian Tamil (5.5%), and Moor (7%) populations with a long history of habitation in the island. Over the decades, politicians, intellectuals, journalists, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and others have emphasised the pluralistic nature of Sri Lankan society. However, since 2006 there has been a tendency in the southern electorate to advocate and reinforce Sinhala-Buddhist identity, nationalism, and associated claims with the overt and covert support of those in power to the relative exclusion of legitimate claims by the Tamil and Muslim populations. This situation emerged due to the intransigence of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and its unwillingness to take part in peace negotiations unconditionally. The government's sincerity in seeking a political solution rather than a military solution was also questionable. The acceleration of military attacks by the government forces on LTTE targets resulted in the deterioration of the security of citizens and their civic and human rights. As the intellectual, ideological, and political gap between the two conflicting parties, i.e., the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), widened considerably since the election of President Rajapakse in November 2005, and the trust between the two conflicting sides and their respective constituencies moved further apart, it is necessary to examine the recent developments.