Sri Lankans Discuss Peace and Reconciliation in Oslo

A NUMBER OF SPEAKERS from Sri Lanka participated in the Conference on Peace and Reconciliation in South Asia organized by the International Association for Human Values in Oslo on 10th and 11th April 2008. They had been invited in their personal capacity by IAHV, which was founded by the Indian guru HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The Conference dealt with different conflicts in South Asia, but Sri Lankan issues attracted the greatest interest and discussion, with presentations also from Prof Indra de Zoysa of Trondheim University and John Hanssen-Bauer, the Special Envoy for Sri Lanka. Niraj Deva of the Conservative Group of the European Parliament was present to chair the Workshop on the Naxalite problems in India, but also contributed to discussion.

The first Sri Lankan speaker was Minister Arumugam Thondaman, who gave a succinct outline of the conflict and of measures currently being taken to promote peace through a political solution. He noted too the manner in which the citizenship issues of people of Indian origin had been resolved through the political engagement and peaceful agitation of Minister Saumyamoorthy Thondaman.

This speech was followed by a Tamil oration by Rev Brahmanawatte Seevali Nayaka Thero, who laid down the Buddhist precepts that would contribute to peaceful resolution of conflict. In the next panel the first speaker on Sri Lanka was the South Indian politician Mr Vaiko, whose historical knowledge seemed very limited. After Dr Jayalath Jayawardena had described the current situation, Rev. Maduluvave Sobitha Nayaka Thero very firmly but gently dealt with Mr Vaiko's misrepresentations, and reaffirmed the pluralistic character of Sri Lankan society and the current awareness that a peaceful political solution was essential to overcome resentments at past difficulties.

The second day saw a presentation by Mr Hanssen-Bauer on the general Norwegian role in Reconciliation of Conflicts in Asia. The last session dealt with the role of the media in conflict resolution, and Prof Rajiva Wijesinha of the Sri Lankan Peace Secretariat dealt with how conflict could be perpetuated by media misrepresentation. This was followed by workshop sessions, with the workshop on Sri Lanka being chaired by Erika Mann of the Socialist Group of the European Parliament. Prof Indra de Zoysa also made a presentation at this workshop, as did the first four Sri Lankan speakers along with Mr Vaiko.

There was much lively debate, with impassioned statements by several representatives of the Tamil community now settled in Norway and elsewhere in the West. The Sri Lankan speakers responded firmly to misrepresentations whilst engaging in sympathetic dialogue since it seemed that many of the expatriates were not aware of recent developments. Minister Thondaman pointed out for instance that deficiencies in recruitment were not due to prejudice but to educational circumstances which were now being remedied, whilst Rev Sobitha talked of the now nationally recognized need to ensure a due place for the Tamil language.

The question of the 1990 ethnic cleansing by the LTTE of Muslims from the Northern Province was raised, and was met with universal regret on the part of Sri Lankan Tamil expatriates too, though Mr Vaiko tried to defend the action. Prof de Soysa pointed out that some of the comments made would be registered as racist, and that racist differences were not generally productive of conflict, the causes of which had to be sought in other factors.

In reporting afterwards on the workshop, Ms Mann noted the positive measures that had been taken recently, and suggested that further initiatives in terms of positive discrimination to enhance state sector employment for Tamils would go far to resolving the real sense of deprivation that was now felt. In general it seemed that the interaction, and the opportunity to discuss issues openly, could lead to positive results. Meetings were also held with Mr Hanssen Bauer, and with Mr Erik Solheim who took time off from a very busy schedule to confirm his continuing concern with the Sri Lankan situation. There were also separate meetings with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar who indicated his willingness too to help in resolving the problem. Throughout the visit the delegation was assisted by the professional skills and commitment of the Ambassador for Sri Lanka in Norway and his staff.