Background
The current conflict in Sri Lanka erupted in 1983 between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists. Tens of thousands have perished in the fighting between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Norway brokered a ceasefire in 2002 however violence intensified in 2006 with the government officially withdrawing from the ceasefire in 2008.

Web links

Association of War Affected Women -  Project work includes ‘healing minds’: bringing people from across the divides for a comprehensive reconciliation process.
 www.awawsl.org

Law & Society Trust - Works to improve Sri Lanka’s legal system. The site contains a link to a book entitled In the Pursuit of Democracy in Post-Colonial Sri Lanka which examines the diverse approaches to dealing with the past,
www.lawandsocietytrust.org

International Centre for Transitional Justice - Looks at a window of opportunity in 2001 that presented an opportunity to investigate incidents of human rights abuses. Considers new avenues for acknowledgement, redress, and reconciliation in the future of Sri Lanka.
www.ictj.org/en/where/region3/627.htm

Berghof Foundation for Conflict Studies - Sri Lanka Office
www.berghof-foundation.lk

Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
www.idea.int

Excerpt From the 2008 Residential Report (for full report click here) :
‘The Sri Lankan participants were sceptical of the many forms of ‘dealing with the past’ that have taken place in Northern Ireland, and elsewhere, in the context of their own country. They believed it was questionable how effective mechanisms, such as truth and reconciliation commissions, international criminal tribunals and courts, amnesty laws and the release of prisoners, land commissions and courts, reparations, counselling, and community relations, would be in Sri Lanka. In their view such mechanisms were largely rushed, mechanical, based on Western ideals values and norms, less culturally sensitive, religiously driven, and suffered from ‘the project psychology’ - they tended to put people last. The believed such temporary ‘scapegoat–mechanisms’ merely fed the existing system.

The Sri Lankans also pointed out various schisms that differentiate their conflict to Northern Ireland: there is comparatively little or no social hatred between communities in Sri Lanka; Buddhist and Hindu philosophies have differently interpreted the concept of ‘the past and how to deal with it’; there are almost no political prisoners; and the ‘coping up’ mechanisms in Sri Lankan society are comparatively high - in other words the level of violence has been so intense at times that people merely ‘sweep up’ and continue with their lives.’

Article links

War Resisters International - This newsletter contains an article on dealing with the past in Batticaloa, which includes details of an innovative workshop held for war-affected women.
www.wri-irg.org/pdf/br60-en.pdf
www.wri-irg.org/news/2004/batticaloa.htm

Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) - Article on dealing with the past and restoring relationships after violent conflict in Sri Lanka. It also examines the ‘road map’ for negotiating a political settlement and promoting conflict transformation.

http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:......

IDEA - A downloadable paperback on Reconciliation and the Peace Process in Sri Lanka: Frameworks, Challenges and ways Forward
www.idea.int/publications/pofdr.cfm

IDEA- Contains a summary of the conflict with a number of links to ‘reconciliation after violent conflict’ in Sri Lanka.
http://www.idea.int/asia_pacific/sri_lanka/index.cfm

Berghof Foundation - Issued a road map to peace during the 2002 peace talks which discusses trauma work, dealing with the past and reconciliation issues, including the way forward for Sri Lanka in coming to terms with its violent past.
http://www.berghof-foundation.lk/scripts/ConceptRoadmap.pdf

Asian Human Rights Commission - Short article with photos on commemoration of the disappeared in Sri Lanka.
www.ahrchk.net/ahrc-in-news/mainfile.php/2006ahrcinnews/923/

More detailed information on the commemoration of the disappeared in Sri Lanka.
http://518solidarity.blogspot.com/2007/10/annual-commemoration-for-disappeared.html