Sri Lanka: a hollow victory? - Highlights

The full event is available here - http://frontlineclub.com/events/2009/02/new---reactive-media-talk-sri-lanka--...

Chaired by Priyath Liyanage (BBC)

Frances Harrison (journalist)
Charu Lata Hogg (Human Rights Watch)
Pearl Thevanayagam (Tamil journalist)
Raj Jayadevan (Alliance for Peace and Reconciliation in Sri Lanka)
Lal Wickrematunge (Sunday Leader, Sri Lanka) by phone

The Tamil Tigers are looking closer than ever to military defeat as government forces continue to overrun the last remaining rebel strongholds in the north of the country. With an end to the military stalemate and the 25 year civil war potentially in sight, what is the future for the LTTE and what are the consequences more generally for Sri Lanka?

Will a military defeat for the LTTE mean a return to its insurgency roots and will the Tigers continue to use their notoriously heavy-handed tactics on the Tamil people? Or can we now expect to see a new era in Sri Lankan politics with the government and the LTTE returning to dialogue and peace-building? What will happen to the thousands of displaced persons and injured civilians that have resulted from this war - a situation that the international aid agencies have declared to be a humanitarian disaster? And what is the likelihood that the end of the war will bring with it a return to press freedom and an improved human rights record?

Frances Harrison was the BBC's Colombo correspondent from 2000 to 2004 during the last peace process between the Tamil Tigers and the government. She is now a freelance journalist.
Charu Lata Hogg worked as an international journalist in India and Sri Lanka for over 12 years, writing for numerous publications. As Associate Fellow in the Asia Programme at Chatham House, she has briefed governments, NGOs, corporations and the media on a range of issues in South Asia covering political, economic and security trends. She is currently also researcher with Human Rights Watch and covers developments in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Pearl Thevanayagam is an exiled journalist

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Sri Lanka
• conflict
• Frontline Club
• journalism

[gajasinghaya]

LTTE second in command Karuna put down his arms struggle and came to the democratic path..and today he is a minister in the current Sri Lankan government...previous foreign minister who was the greatest ever was a Tamil himself Mr. Laxman Kadiragaman, (killed by LTTE) and the most powerful minister in the current goverment Minister jeyaraj fernandopulle Tamil himself was too killed by LTTE...and people say Tamils have no rights...JOKERS

[LtteBuster]

Once upon a time, there was a Terrorist organization called LTTE.

Leader was an uneducated "Big Fat Pig" named Fuckakaran.

In 1983 He started a "Big Fuck" called PEELAM, killing 13 soldiers. He killed lots of peole.

Great King Mahinda pushed a Cyanide capsule in his ass & Fucked him with Multibarrels up 2 the throat

Daddy what happend next ?

YOU IDIOT ..FUCKER DIED ON THE SPOT !.

SHUT UP !

GO TO THE BED MASTURBATE & SLEEP.

HEREAFTER YOU WILL NEVER EVER SEE YOUR PEELAM WET DREAM

[LtteBuster]

No problem...Machang... now we don't want Mahinda...

You cant kill him now...But we will !

[uttsenthil]

Yes the history will repeat. mahinda will be fucked up soon

[concerned1000]

British you brought this problem to Sri Lanka ..now you have formed a panel with two tamil journalists and are examining the situation in Sri Lanka. Who do you think the so-called two Tamil journalists would favour? Let me guess ... hmmm the LTTE and the Tamils

[nirbija]

The extremes violence & suffering going on in Sri Lanka is very very unfortunate

However, most unfortunate is that Sri Lankans refuse to recognize that the racist & beastly brits are at the root cause of the "former colony's" problems

Instead, of reserving greatest disdain for the 'divide & dominate' brits, Sri Lankans waste their energies in self-destruction

Sri Lanka & Rwanda are BOTH victims of evil European 'divide & dominate' against people who had no prior problems among themselves

[OurKilinochchi]

LTTE kills Tamils in Sri Lanka. LTTE has child soldiers, suicide bombers. LTTE killed Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim leaders. LTTE killed Rajiv Gandhi.LTTE is not the solution for the Tamils in Sri Lanka.

[sedm0757]

I agree with "gajasinghaya". The LTTE will continue to kill anyone who wants to sort the problem within the domocratic framework of Sri Lanka.

A good example is the assasination of Dr Neelan Thiruchelvam, who was at the process of drafting new legislation that addressed the tamil issue. Yes we do need a harvard educated tamil to write legislation to sort out tamil rights, but the thing is they are far and few between and they keep getting assasinated by the LTTE

[ransilige]

The truth is not with the LTTE propaganda media or journalists that running for individual benefits but with the people that have faced the reality (tamills) what they say is something different also it is justified in this election as well very clearly

[agith2005]

UN MUST SEND THE WORLD REPORTERS and DOCTORES without BUNDRIES, TO COVER WAR IN WARZOONE VANNI. The SL MILITARY is USING CHEMICAL GAS AGAINST THE MINOROTY TAMIL PEOPLE in VANNI AS SADAM HUSSAIN or HITLER. THE INDIA and CHAINA IS HELPING for OWN PERPHOSE to GASSING TAMIL PEOPLE IN VANNI. SL GOVERNMENT CAN SHOW WORLD the PICTURES of 1500 DEAD TAMIL PEOPLE, AFFTER THEY HAVE GASSING IN WARZOONE VANNI 21april2009.