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Sri Lanka emerging from the darkness of war

By Julie Bishop - posted Thursday, 7 February 2013


Last week, with my parliamentary colleagues Scott Morrison and Michael Keenan, I visited Sri Lanka.

The first part of our itinerary was organised by the Tamil National Alliance, the second by the Australian High Commission and the final part by the Sri Lankan government.

We were free to travel wherever we chose and meet with whomever we wished – in Colombo, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Trincomalee.

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It is clear that Sri Lanka is making huge strides in its efforts to rebuild its economy, society and communities after the May 2009 end of a 30 year civil war.

The challenges should not be underestimated among a population traumatised by one of the longest running and bloody conflicts in recent history.

Up to 100,000 people were killed during the war, with hundreds of thousands displaced and at a cost of an estimated $200 billion to the Sri Lankan economy.

There was virtually no government infrastructure development in the regions controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) due to security concerns, including no electricity supply or water sanitation, and little to no road construction or maintenance.

The current investment in infrastructure is staggering.

Electricity supply has been provided to the majority of the northern and eastern provinces where the LTTE largely operated.

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More than 20,000 kilometres of new high-quality roads have been constructed including 18,000 kilometres of rural access roads.

A huge investment has been made in building and upgrading health and education services.

Hundreds of thousands of land mines and unexploded ordnance have been recovered by teams of Sri Lankans employed to de-mine mostly agricultural areas that are being returned to production.

These teams include former Tamil Tigers some of whom intend to use their salaries to establish small businesses, displaying the spirit of enterprise for which Tamils are renowned.

One school we visited in the town of Kilinochchi had 36 students studying in a makeshift classroom at the end of the war, but today has over 2000 students enrolled.

Impressive new school buildings have been constructed by international aid agencies including AusAID.

The government has also managed to resettle more than 97 per cent of internally displaced people with the vast majority returning to their land.

This has resulted in a large increase in agricultural production, particularly throughout the northern and eastern provinces, supported by a significant expansion of irrigation infrastructure.

Economic growth has been strong since the end of the war and tourists have increased from half a million in 2009 to more than one million per year.

Rates of malnutrition have been reduced dramatically in the north – from 20% to 4% - partly due to a program of free meals and milk for school students.

I found it hard to not be impressed by the scale of the investment in the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka.

However that is not to claim that challenges do not remain.

Economic reconciliation is forging ahead at a rapid pace, while social reconciliation is under way, yet significant hurdles remain in the way of a full political reconciliation.

Many people have grown up under the reign of the LTTE, which remains a proscribed terrorist organisation in parts of the world, and it will take some time for them to adjust to life under a new government.

The former LTTE combatants must also adjust to life as civilians and it is inevitable that many will find it difficult to come to terms with their new lives.

The Sri Lankan government makes no secret of the fact that it will monitor the activities of former combatants and active supporters of the LTTE to guard against any attempts to resurrect the military conflict.

There are concerns that the nature of this surveillance is too severe and is impacting on the ability of some people to obtain employment and to travel freely.

Ultimately it will come down to the slow rebuilding of mutual trust and respect, which will not be an easy or rapid process.

It is hard to imagine that anyone would want a return to the conflict and horrific loss of life that occurred over the 30 years of war.

It is essential that former LTTE members and supporters integrate back into society.

The issue of a political settlement may take years to achieve with the Tamil community seeking greater independence and local governance.

Again, for this to occur there must be a rebuilding of trust between the minority Tamils who make up about 8 per cent of the population and the majority Sinhalese with 74 per cent.

The relationship has been shattered by the long years of conflict and will take many years to rebuild across the board.

While Sri Lanka faces the difficult challenge of achieving full reconciliation, there are encouraging early signs as the entrepreneurial Tamil people particularly in the northern region again become participants in the national economy.

An estimated 6000Tamils have returned from refuge in India in a vote of confidence in the future of Sri Lanka.

Like people the world over, Sri Lankans want to live in peace and security.

Australia must encourage and support that aspiration.

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About the Author

Julie Bishop is the Federal Member for Curtin, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs.

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