Short Updates, Current Political Situation

Ok so I've been really horrible in updating the blog, I know I know. I'll admit. Politically things happen so fast here that its really hard to keep up with all the developments without confusing yourself! Honestly. Sri Lanka is having a very interesting summer for politics.

Constitutional reforms, political protests, US Panels, UN panels, IEDs, it's a lot! I'll try to break things down as best I can.

May 19 2010 commemorated the anniversary of the end of the 30 year long Civil War. You talk to some people and they'll describe it as a war for independence but anyone remotely attached to the government calls it the end of the war on terror and claims that “terrorism no longer exists in Sri Lanka.” There is much dispute about what actually happened around the end of the way in May 2009. It is known that at that point the government was doing what it could to try to crush the LTTE. At the same time the LTTE decided to use a human shield, catching many civilians between the two sides. As their occupied area got smaller and smaller, you can imagine what happened. On May 19 the leader of the LTTE was killed in battle and the war was declared over.

Again, as I've mentioned before, this is just a gist of the situation and not an in-depth analysis. It's tough, because I understand how relieved people are that the war is over. Most of the fighting took place in the north and east but much of the retaliation was deliberate attacks on important places in Colombo and cultural sites around the country.

What kind of effect does 30 years of civil war have on a population? Imagine boarding a city bus every day afraid that someone on it is strapped with explosives. There was a point at which there was at least one bus bombing a month in Colombo. You're terrified and at the same time mostly desensitized to the violence around you because it doesn't always hit home due to its random nature. It becomes seen more as an inconvenience when traffic has to be re-routed because of a bomb blast. Every Sri Lankan has lost a family member or friend during the course of the conflict. To be able to live in a place of steady, yet random violence, you have to become desensitized. The war became a part of life. The government was able to take great liberties with rule of law and infringing upon people because the conflict could always be used as an excuse for any sort of action. There are still checkpoints all over the city, you can and will be stopped at any point by police officers looking to see your ID or passport. In my case, I carry my passport everywhere so the sidetracking is minimal. If you're stopped without your passport or state ID you could be jailed.

Its affected different parts of the country differently, and in all ways shaped the way members of government work, act and campaign. Rhetoric here is absolutely amazing. At no point in the country's history was there a military draft or forced conscription of adult males. Every member of the military is a volunteer. In doing to majority politicians had to walk a curious line to ensure recruits.