In 1850, Sri Lanka was occupied by the Dutch and then in 1796, the island was ceded to the British. It’s in 1815 that Sri Lanka was united under British’s rule and obtained independence in 1948. At that time, its name is Ceylon, but was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Starting 1983, war erupted between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists. Tens of thousands have died in an ethnic conflict that continues to fester.
After two decades of fighting, the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) formalized a cease-fire agreement in February 2002, with Norway brokering peace negotiations.
However to date, a reading of the text of the agreement gives the feeling that the LTTE got more than what they would have expected. There are many issues which are open to different interpretations and the Norwegians would be having a tough task in resolving the differences, given the rigid stand of people on both sides.
Tough tasks ahead: The Norwegians have done a commendable job in getting the two parties agree to a structured peace agreement. The test of the agreements and its implementation would depend on how sincerely the two parties are “willing to find a negotiated solution to the ongoing conflict”.
The task of the Norwegians is not going to be easy. The cease-fire agreement has plenty of fuzzy areas and is likely to be interpreted differently by both the parties. The very concept of full sovereignty of the whole country is likely to be disputed by LTTE even during the cease-fire period. The cease-fire is likely to continue indefinitely as substantive talks cannot make progress unless a semblance of normalcy is restored.
There are many social factors that need to be addressed in the war ravaged Tamil areas. The economy is one. A whole generation of youths male & female have grown under the gun culture. Perhaps a long tenure of peace which could make the people of Tamil areas safe & prosperous may make even LTTE to give up Eelam to accept an alternative.
