Politics

For Sri Lanka Another Battle Lies Ahead

By Dweep Chanana ⋅ May 21, 2009 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

In Sri Lanka, a national holiday yesterday marked the army’s victory over the LTTE. Sinhalese Sri Lankans celebrated, as President Rajapaksa declared the war over. Yet, it is his next steps that will decide if he won the war or simply a battle. Because anyone familiar with insurgencies can confirm that only battles are won on the battlefield. War and peace are won through diplomacy, negotiation, and reconciliation.

To be sure, President Rajapaksa has made the right noises – such as addressing the country in Tamil. Yet, there are ominous signs that there will be no quick return of Tamil civilians to normalcy. The latest of these is the news that the ICRC has suspended its work in the north because the government is denying aid agencies access to relief camps. Simultaneously, Sri Lanka has also arrested its own doctors, that had served in the warzone, for providing “false” casualty figures. This suggests that Sri Lanka’s government intends to control both the destinies of Tamils and the opinions of the Sinhalese for some time to come.

To be fair, what has been achieved in Sri Lanka is most remarkable. Seldom in the history of the world has a dissident terrorist and militant movement been so strong and yet been defeated so quickly. For this the credit (or discredit) must go to the government of President Rajapaksa, which used the LTTE’s atrocities “as a license for its own abuses.”

Certainly, the LTTE’s own actions in the last days of the war showed it to be no more than a terrorist organization and the passing of Prabhakaran and his ilk should not be mourned. But in managing the aftermath Rajapaksa can learn from the experiences of Israel and India before metting out a collective punishment on those Tamils strong and lucky enough to survive.

The Palestinian community has no state to call its own, but is spread out across Gaza and the West Bank, as well as in Egypt and Lebanon. In order to keep alive international claims for a separate Palestinian homeland, Arab States have denied these refugees citizenship or resettlement. As a result, Palestinians live 2nd-class lives and their ghettoization, to which Israel contributes substantially in the Gaza strip, engenders violence and anger against Israel and its allies both inside those camps, and out.

India’s handling of militancy in Punjab provides a more positive example. That movement was also silenced by the gun. But it was similar to the LTTE in that both were financed by diaspora abroad. Khalistan was funded by Sikhs in the UK, USA, and Canada. Eelam was funded by Tamils in Europe and North America.

While counter-insurgency was responsible in defeating militancy militarily, peace was won through political negotiations, a quick return to full civilian control, and by equipping a war-weary population with the tools for growth. As a result, even though support for Khalistan remained high abroad, it ebbed locally.

Sri Lanka may yet face a similar challenge because Tamils abroad are not yet ready to surrender. And no matter how hard it tries to weed out LTTE members, Sri Lanka is sure to miss some. To ensure that those that do escape remain marginalized, Sri Lanka must ensure that the bulk of the Tamil population moves forward and is not stuck in relief camps.

Sri Lanka would do well to show grace in its hour of victory. This is not a time to be searching for LTTE cadres but to prevent another LTTE from forming. To do so, President Rajapaksa should move the “biggest hostage operation” from rescue to relief. He can start by providing relief agencies unlimited access and funding.

There is a risk, of course. War crimes were probably committed on both sides and those of the government will surely come to light. For a State that has silenced dissent for so long that prospect is no doubt unsettling. But this too may be good, for a little introspection may go a long way in aiding reconciliation.

The irony of this war is that both sides purported to fight to “liberate” the Tamils. The LTTE wanted a Tamil homeland while the government called its endgame the largest “hostage rescue operation in history.” Oddly enough, they both killed, shot at, and bombed those very civilians they claimed to serve and protect. Well, the Tamils have now been liberated. If the LTTE defined the past, Sri Lanka’s government has the opportunity, indeed the obligation, to define the future of Sri Lanka. With such an overwhelming victory and public opinion in its favor, it also has the tools to do so.