The End of War and the Beginning of Strife

The End of War and the Beginning of Strife
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Analysis of the current military situation in Sri Lanka, after the fall of the Tamil Tiger capital

Charles Michel Duke (cmduke)

As 2009 settles down, it looks as if Asia's longest running war is finally entering its death throes.


Forgetting to Remember the Hidden Genocides

The End of War and the Beginning of Strife

Forgetting to Remember the Hidden Genocides


The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) earlier this week captured Kilinochi, the de facto capital of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (Tamil Tigers/LTTE). The casualties are unconfirmed, but it seems from initial news reports that little resistance was put up by the rebel group, famed for its suicide attacks that have killed, among others, the former Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi.

As the ground once held by the Tigers seems to be melting away, a new question now arises. What will happen on this tiny island, blighted by a generation of Civil War? While the Sinhalese are the majority in Sri Lanka, 15 percent of the population are Tamil, and a further five percent are from non-Sinhalese backgrounds.

Virtually the whole island mistrusts one another and the economy is in shambles, shackled by the twin chains of lawlessness and corruption and the infrastructure is in ruins (not helped by the Asian Tsunami of 2004). The country is in ruins and once the elation of victory passes, the very real task of rebuilding a nation will be a top priority. For a people divided and scarred after a quarter of a century of fighting, this is going to be a challenge that will probably never be met in the near future.

The Elephant Pass in 2004. Now, one of the few remaining areas under LTTE control.

There is also the question of weaponry. There are vast amounts of arms circulating in Sri Lanka, both in rebel and army hands. Once the war is over, what will happen? Firstly to the former cadres of the Tigers that will be able to easily melt into the background of the civilian population. And secondly, what will happen to all the government armed forces that will no longer be needed? On one hand, a trainee combat group will always be lurking in the shadows and on the other side, disenfranchised soldiers who will not so readily return to rural civilian life. This is one huge impact of the Sri Lankan civil war, the virtual militarisation of the entire island.

However, there must be one question that has to be asked above all of these. How did it ever get so bad in the first place? The fact that the Tamil Tigers at one point were able to run a parallel state and still have an Air Force and Navy alongside their land troops. Such an organisation could not have existed without the will of the people. The lack of willing civilian support is one of the major factors why the Tamil Tigers have been capitulating so readily in the face of the recent SLA advances across the north of Sri Lanka.

The Tamil Tigers are known for their brutality, their monetary extraction from the public and uncompromising stance with regards to personal freedoms such as extra-marital relations. The fact that they were allowed to rule and dominate the life of Tamils for so long, shows that they (at one point) had wide ground support from ordinary men and women.

The Sri Lankan army is in effect becoming an occupying force and is going to have to stay in that role for many years to come. Despite the military victory that seems to be apparent, the government of Sri Lanka has to face up to the reality that one in five of its population does not identify itself with the imposed majority culture of the Sinahalese, does not speak Sinhala (the language of the Sinhalese) or the state religion of Buddhism (which the majority of Sinhalese adhere to).

These are the same problems that caused the start of the war in the 1980s, and the civil unrest long before that.

Worth Fighting for? War damage in Northern Sri Lanka (2004)

The Elephant Pass in 2004. The former SLA tank was left by the LTTE as a symbol of their victory

While the demise of the vile Prabhakaran and the LTTE is a note for optimism and hope, the group was fighting for the rights of the Tamil people of the island. Compared to other Asian countries with Tamil minorities such as India, Malaysia or Singapore, the government Sri Lanka has consistently tampered with and cut the basic freedoms of the Tamils.

The discrimination has been acknowledged by international groups over the years, but to all intensive purposes the state of Sri Lanka has taken part in what can be termed as the destruction of the Tamil people on the island. The implementation of Sinhala as the official language, the restriction of the Tamil's economic opportunities, mass killings and the destruction of cultural icons including the venerated Jaffna library (the cultural equivalent of the British Library) have resulted in Sri Lanka gaining the status of a pariah state. Sri Lanka holds the record for disappearances reported to the UN and is regarded as one of the most dangerous places for journalists to operate after Iraq and Somalia.

The fact is that after 25 years of civil war, neither side has very much to show for it. On independence, Ceylon (as it was then known) was a country with a solid infrastructure, high levels of education and an economy in profit. While it still has some high standards, it has been left behind in the race of the Asian Millennium. It has completely failed to take advantage of India's growing prowess. Other Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and even Vietnam have left it behind in terms of economic development.

It has a huge Diaspora that is unwilling to invest a single penny within it. While other economies within Asia have successfully tapped into its overseas populations, the only thing that Sri Lankans (on both sides) have invested in, has been the gun. As a chapter draws to a close on one of the most brutal episodes of recent Asian history, one must ask, what kind of a future has been left for all the people of this island?