Ghosts of the Past

The ghosts of a horrific civil war that ended more than a decade ago can still be heard in the beautiful but scarred landscapes of northern Sri Lanka’s Tamil community. While peace appears to have returned, many Tamils in this region continue to face unsolved concerns and simmering tensions, casting a lengthy shadow over efforts to reconcile and rebuild.

Following the end of the civil war in 2009, there was a concerted effort to resettle hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons, mostly Tamils. However, the process has been stalled and hampered by difficulties. For many, land conflicts and the military’s continued presence hampered the return to their ancestral homes. The delayed pace of land restitution, combined with bureaucratic inefficiency, has left many Tamils unable to reclaim the lands that were once theirs, fostering a sense of dislocation and unfairness.

Economically, the northern areas have struggled to restore their foothold. The decades-long conflict ravaged agriculture and fishing, vital to the local economy. Today, unemployment and underemployment are widespread, with little prospects for young people. Infrastructure initiatives, while apparent, frequently appear as half-measures—roads that lead nowhere, schools that lack adequate teachers, and hospitals that lack critical supplies. This uneven development alienates a society that is already skeptical of missed promises.

Politically, Tamils in the north continue to feel marginalised. While Tamil lawmakers serve in parliament, their influence is reduced by the concentration of power in Colombo. Calls for increased autonomy and self-government have been met with opposition, leaving local leaders powerless to meet the specific needs of their communities. The prospect of substantial devolution of authority remains a distant and elusive dream, equally marred by visible curtailment of human rights. Rights breaches include the confiscation of land for Buddhist religious sites, the appearance of Buddhist symbols and places of worship in minority areas, including locations where no Buddhists lived, and the denial of Tamils access to Hindu places of worship and cultural sites. Protecting Tamil culture in the north and east, as well as alleviating the stresses caused by militarism and increasing in-migration, will be critical to ensuring the country’s peace and reconciliation. Measures implemented since the commencement of Maithripala Sirisena’s administration in 2015, such as enabling the national anthem to be performed in Tamil in Colombo after years of unofficial restrictions, as well as reframing the commemoration of the end of the conflict not as a ‘victory day’ but a day of remembrance, are important steps forward.

Perhaps most pressing is the question of responsibility for war crimes. The end of the war provided neither reckoning nor closure for the thousands who had suffered horrors. Calls for investigations and restitution have generally gone unmet, perpetuating a sense of injustice. Human rights breaches continue, with claims of surveillance, harassment, and arbitrary detentions fueling a sense of panic. The military’s constant presence in daily life is a vivid reminder of unresolved conflicts and unhealed scars.