Sri Lanka: War remembrance, reconciliation and non-violent resistance

May 2014 marked the 5th year of the brutal end of the armed conflict in the island of Sri Lanka. The foremost stakeholders of the final phase of the war, the Tamil nation, the Sinhala nation and the international community seem to have different interpretations of the disturbing developments, unfolding since the last phase of the war.

In its narrative, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) keeps obstinately insisting that they liberated the Tamil people from the grip of terror. Though, this year marks the 5th year of the cruel end of war, what it actually means for the Tamil people and the reality on the ground totally contradicts the GoSL narrative. While understanding the GoSL’s empty promises and false hopes, a section of the international community keeps persistently pushing for national reconciliation. It is a serious question how and when this would be feasible considering the reality where the war against a populace is still continued by other means.

The means of war, strategies and fronts have changed for each actor, but not the conflict. The GoSL has waged Psychological Operations (PSY-OPS) mainly through Information Warfare (IW) against the Tamil Diaspora, and equally if not more dangerous, severe military and intelligence activities in the Tamil homeland.

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