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