On the 23rd April 2006, news reached the media of the killing of six Sinhala farmers in Gomarankadawela by men suspected to be LTTE cadre. On the 25th, following the attempt on the life of the Army Commander in Colombo, which left over 10 persons dead, there was aerial bombing of the Sampoor area. Both these incidents signaled a shift in the modality of the conflict in the north and east of Sri Lanka, according to commentators.

Following these incidents, a team of representatives from different civil society organisations based in Colombo, Kurunegala, Negombo and Anuradhapura decided to undertake a field visit to these areas to ascertain at first-hand the situation of civilians living in these areas.

Introduction

On the 23rd April 2006, news reached the media of the killing of six Sinhala farmers in Gomarankadawela by men suspected to be LTTE cadre. On the 25th, following the attempt on the life of the Army Commander in Colombo, which left over 10 persons dead, there was aerial bombing of the Sampoor area. Both these incidents signaled a shift in the modality of the conflict in the north and east of Sri Lanka, according to commentators.

Following these incidents, a team of representatives from different civil society organisations based in Colombo, Kurunegala, Negombo and Anuradhapura decided to undertake a field visit to these areas to ascertain at first-hand the situation of civilians living in these areas.

Recommendations

Civilian protection

The government and the LTTE need to make a serious commitment to the protection of civilians, primarily by affirming that they will not engage in any acts or hostilities that will endanger the lives and livelihoods of civilians.

It is only by doing so that both parties can reaffirm their commitment to their obligations under international humanitarian principles and human rights law, which they have affirmed on previous occasions.

The adoption of UN Security Council Resolution and the statement by the UN Special Rapporteur on Summary and Arbitrary Executions makes it clear that the international community is committed to the issue of civilian protection in conflict situations. It is to be hoped that the international community active on the Sri Lankan issue will do all it can to ensure that both the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE honour their obligations and commitments in the international arena.

It is also imperative that community-based mechanisms for civilian protection are created, not by the Police who may be perceived as being partisan, but by leading members of civil society in a particular town or area, such as members of the clergy and professionals. These mechanisms should be afforded full recognition by the authorities, including the SLMM and the security forces and supported to carry on their activities independently of state structures.

Humanitarian assistance and emergency relief

The lesson to be learned from the experiences of Trincomalee and Mutur in April 2006 is that despite the time and energy spent on disaster-preparedness, in fact, in an emergency the response of the state and non-state agencies mandated to deliver relief and assistance is still devastatingly slow. A serious review of the situation is called for, in order to ensure that such a situation is not repeated.

At the same time, it is important to ensure adequate independent monitoring of relief deliveries so that any inequalities and imbalances that arise could be speedily remedied.

It is critical to ensure that security considerations do not stand in the way of the delivery of essential food and medical aid and that the denial or delaying of aid is not used as a weapon to punish civilians who are already affected and displaced by the conflict.
Unbiased media coverage

There should be better methods devised to ensure that media personnel receive accurate and non-partisan information regarding incidents of violence in the conflict-affected areas. Dependence on military information sources is hardly adequate in this situation.

State and non-state agencies, including the security forces, should acknowledge the critical role to be played by the media in diffusing tensions and bringing the situation in an affected area to the public arena islandwide. Thus guaranteeing access to media persons to areas affected by violence, and ensuring that they get the fullest support from the security forces on the ground is essential.

Public campaign for saying no to communal violence

There needs to be strong support from the state and from non-state actors to promote public campaigns and creative activities that will work towards rebuilding the fractured social fabric of the Trincomalee District through the promotion of respect for diversity.

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