Symposia & Conferences
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Item Ethnic Violence in Sri Lanka: Comparing Security Solutions from other Similar Intractable Conflicts(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Imre, R.; Govinnage, S.Sri Lanka has been a focus of international attention since July 1983 due to the ongoing civil war, which has claimed over 60,000 people since it broke out. The civil war and associated ethnic violence has not only claimed human lives, but also delayed social advancement and economic prosperity in this island nation once regarded as a model for a developing nation. Despite international intervention for a ‘peaceful solution’ the country is at crossroads with an uncertain future. This paper will explore the possibility of moving beyond the irreducible categories of ethnicity and show how other peoples have overcome similar violent political conflicts elsewhere emphasising the possible lessons for Sri Lanka. When we look at intractable conflicts around the world, we often find political actors who are entrenched in their own battles for power. This power manifests itself in a number of ways such as, territory, voting rights, special concessions, language rights, cultural rights, as well as several other political expressions of a struggle for power and authority. In many cases, the struggle for power must take on an ethnic dimension in order to ensure that the conflict is one between two distant ‘others’. Without this dimension it might not be possible to negotiate on a type of universality and core values that bind ‘ethnicities’. In this paper we will draw out the similarities of these conflicts to some aspects of the civil war in Sri Lanka in an attempt to provide a set of comparative political tools for the understanding of similar conflicts around the world.Item Sociological Study on Impact of the Ethnic Conflict on Poverty: A Case Study from War Affected Environment(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Ekanayake, E.M.S.At present number of scholars consider the ethnic conflict and poverty assuming that the war might be key issue for the problems related to poverty. Sri Lanka is a developing county with an annual per capita income of about 820 dollars (World Bank Report 2000). One out of five Sri Lankan households subsists below the poverty line. After achieving 6.0% growths in GDP in 2000, Sri Lanka faced negative economic growth of 1.3% in 2001. The decline was largely due to the LTTE attack on Sri Lanka’s International Airport that adversely affected tourism and shipping. The impact of ethnic conflict on poverty can be examined at micro and macro levels. But most scholar’s and institutes have their studies at macro level. So this paper attempts to understand, how conflict has impacted peoples poverty in war affected areas. By examining the ethnic conflict and poverty, we can build two hypotheses. Conflict leads to poverty and Poverty leads to hopelessness. This study attempts to examine how conflict causes poverty. This research was carried out in three communities in the Seruvila Divisional Secretariat Division in the Trincomalee district. The main objective of this study is to understand the impact of the war on the poor and the poverty dynamics in the war affected regions focusing on the three ethnic communities. Data for the study were collected from three selected villages in Seruwila Divisional Secretariat Division representing all three ethnic groups, Sinhala, Tamils and Muslims. Quantitative and qualitative data collection methods were employed to collect information. A survey of records and literature was done to gather secondary data, and it was followed by primary data collections in the field. For the collection of the primary data, case studies, interviews, group discussion and observation were the methods employed. The findings of the study reveal that the major factors that have contributed to poverty in the war torn areas are the physical damage to life and property, frustrations and hopelessness created by the war, the decline of other traditional livelihood activities, the decline of both public and private sector services, LTTE tax policies and the decline of support organizations at community level.