What U.S. Businesses Must Consider In Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan government is in hot pursuit of U.S. businesses, seeking to usher in more investment dollars to help rebuild the country following the end of the civil war two years ago. Jobs that help to grow the economy and benefit all Sri Lankans are welcome. But companies are on notice that the Sri Lanka government is following ethnically discriminatory policies, and those that favor only certain segments of the population -- wittingly or not -- are compounding the ethnic divides that caused the 26-year war in the first place.

In theory, ramped up American business investment could benefit Sri Lanka by expanding its infrastructure and markets and creating jobs. However, many of the country's ethnic Tamils remain disenfranchised politically, socially and economically. The Sri Lankan government has buoyed military occupancy of traditionally Tamil-majority areas in the north and east, where it is increasingly relocating the majority Sinhalese in an obvious policy to change the island's demographics. The government has also failed to locate much new employment-generating businesses in the war-devastated north and east of the country where there are tens of thousands of impoverished women-headed households due to the war.

Development projects in the north rarely help local Tamils, with jobs largely going to newly-relocated Sinhalese and foreign workers. This, and other government policies of ethnic discrimination, fuel continuing tensions and stoke fears of renewed conflict. In fact, a report last November by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) urged the Sri Lankan government to provide legal protections against workplace discrimination for all citizens, including Tamils, after finding widespread discrimination against them in government employment and services.

"On-going exclusionary policies," according to a recent report by a UN panel of experts on Sri Lanka, "have been at the heart of the conflict." But little is being done to correct the problem. Certainly the government has not taken meaningful steps, largely because it is more interested in promoting opportunities for the Sinhalese and the president's family. In 2009, President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed a 19-member task force on northern development, which included only one Tamil and one Muslim in an area almost 100 percent populated by minority groups. Additionally, both the Ministry of Economic Development and the Urban Development Authority (UDA) are under the control of the President's brother, Basil Rajapaksa, and in 2010 the UDA was brought under the authority of the Defense Ministry, headed by another presidential brother, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

Even former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, herself a Sinhalese, said on July 24 in Sri Lanka's capital that the government should not continue its "winner take all policy." Due to the lack of good governance, which requires transparency and accountability in development programs, "the country is deteriorating to a level of anarchy," said the former president.

U.S. businesses, primarily apparel brands that import Sri Lankan-made goods to the United States, must begin to act in a more socially responsible and thoughtful manner if they want to be regarded as good corporate citizens. They should demand an accounting of who produces the products emblazoned with their world-famous logos and who benefits from their investments. Simply put, they should stop hiding behind a veil of political ignorance. The garment industry ships 40 percent of its exports to the US, supplying brands such as Victoria's Secret, Gap and Nike. These companies wield significant clout since the United States accounts for $1.77 billion, or 21 percent of the Sri Lanka's exports. They should demand that the jobs created by their businesses be used to promote empowerment, equality and reconciliation, not discrimination and division.

Amid the many ethnic equality-related concerns that continue to go unresolved, American businesses must do their homework and not allow themselves to become smitten by Rajapaksa or his family as they seek corporate dollars in the name of developing the country while building a political dynasty and family business empire. Many regions of Sri Lanka, including areas around the capital that were never involved in the conflict, have rising reports of alleged murder, torture, rape, and kidnapping by soldiers and other government agents. Journalists face intimidation and the media continues to be censored or to practice self-censorship. Many of the island's lingering problems go unreported.

If American businesses want to invest in Sri Lanka, they must craft equitable investment strategies that fully support policies of non-discrimination and investment in war-devastated regions. If the government of Sri Lanka is not willing to cooperate in these and other efforts for accountability and reconciliation, then American businesses should take their investments elsewhere. Many of the conditions that led to the brutal, decades-long civil war in Sri Lanka have yet to be resolved. Shareholders and consumers must not become unwitting accomplices to the on-going oppression and discrimination by pumping investment dollars into the island without understanding the policies they are funding.

 

Comments

[Spiritual Peace]

12:36 AM on 08/24/2011

Any reader who wants a balanced understanding can download the works from

Center for Peace and Democracy:
http://www.cjpdonline.org/cj/en/page/71/Book%20Download
(PDF files can be downloaded.)

And those who missed the British Channel4 documentary, simply Google Sri Lanka: Killing Fields and you will see the link at channel4.com. In fact this documentary holds both parties responsible which means that it is not biased as some like to claim - :-)

[Spiritual Peace]

12:07 AM on 08/24/2011

Thank you Huffington Post & Karunyan Arulantham for bringing the world closer to the REAL situation.

Couple of points:
1. As stated in my previous post: With all due respect to President Abraham Lincoln, altering his quote to apply to Sri Lanka:
"Chauvinst Govt. Leaders can fool some of the people (both Sinhala & Tamil) all of the time (1948-2009­?) , and all of the people (both Sinhala and Tamil people) some of the time (‘war on terrorism’ etc), but you can NOT fool all of the people (the world!) ALL of the time(1948-­????)."

Sri Lanka Pays PR Firm Over Rs. 500 Million To Boost Post-War Image- And in April 2011:
http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2011/02/06/sri-lanka-pays-pr-firm-over-rs-500-million-to-boost-post-war-image

2. As the Author pointed out, even the former President Chandrika pointed out the OBVIOUS.
http://sundaytimes.lk/index.php/latest/9179-sri-lanka-a-divided-nation-under-authoritarian-rule-chandrika

3. The interested reader is encouraged to find the full coverage by Channel4:
http://www.channel4.com/news/sri-lanka-civil-war
Question: If chauvinist leaders didn't want to hide, why throw out the Channe4 reporter Nick Patton during the conflict?

Some anti-democratic commentators to this article are simply trying to be inhuman.

[Ruwan Dissanayake]

07:47 AM on 08/23/2011

We invite all who comment against Sri lanka, they can come down to Sri Lanka. Just walk along streets in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka and count the number of Tamil speaking businessmen and Sinhala businessmen. The truth is almost all the business places in colombo belong to Tamil speaking people. Similarly, in every sphere, there are reasonable number of high ranking Tamil people. Unfortunately, what Tamil extremists want is pre 1948 percentage of jobs. That time there were very few Sinhalese schools in the country. British colonists trained Tamils for the government jobs. If Sinhalese want to get a job, they had to get good education. To get good education as per the British requirements Sinhalese had to go to Christian schools. For that Sinhalese Buddhists had to convert to Christianity. That time nobody cry about the discriminations of majority of Sinhalese people. Do not rely on the LTTE propaganda.

[eureka14]

12:53 AM on 08/24/2011

In any country people from the regions flock to the capital because opportunities fror employment and business are maximum around the capital.
Tamils have been leaving the Northeast for the South because the successive governments have not been investing in the Northeast. In the 80s/90s the Northeast came under increasing army of occupation and aerial bombing.

[Ruwan Dissanayake]

01:59 AM on 08/24/2011

Under war situation, how the Government or any other private company do a investment in the North. It is the LTTE responsible for such situation. Not only the LTTE demolished even the existing infrastructures.

[eureka14]

01:17 AM on 08/24/2011

http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=34331
22 August 2011
''Sri Lanka Army soldiers have been engaged in registering Tamil youths of both sexes who are staying Colombo with their relatives and friends and lodges in Colombo city and its suburbs. This has caused fear among Tamils living in the South. But the SLA says that this ethnic and selective registration is a ‘routine affair’ and not an especially implemented assignment, ''

Routine Affair to register Tamils every few months !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ruwan Dissanayake]

02:08 AM on 08/24/2011

The government has enough money to feed the Army and the people, if not enough we can borrow from China or India! What I told about the extrotion of money from innocent Tamil People living in western countries by the LTTE to procure weapons. It is reported in the recent state department report on Terrorism that the LTTE does it still in Europe and train in India.

[Ruwan Dissanayake]

02:13 AM on 08/24/2011

SL Army is taking every measures to avoid resurgence of the LTTE. That is for the benefit of all communities.

[Ruwan Dissanayake]

09:53 AM on 08/22/2011

According to the latest the US State Department report of terrorism, it shows that the LTTE is still procuring weapons and training in India. They are still extorting money. They are still engaged in human trafficking, arms smuggling, drug smuggling, and credit card frauds. They are supporting other terrorist movements. They are doing all these illegal activities while taking cover of its front organizations. The worst thing is the LTTE is giving inspiration to the far right extreme organizations and individuals in EUROPE. The best example is the recent attack in Norway. That person has written about the LTTE while justifying them, he proposed to use same tactics in Europe. He has collected several tons of fertilizers. It seems he has used that fertilizer to make bombs. The LTTE is an expert on such activities. The killing of 67 innocent Norwegians in an island is also resemble with the attacks of the LTTE in border Sinhala villages and on devotees who came to worship and observe sill at the sacred SRI MAHA BODHI in Anuradhapura. I urge the western leaders not to entertain these criminals who are in sheep cloths under the cover of many front organizations. They are lobbing heavily. They can do it, because they have millions of dollars earned by extortions and other illegal means. Sinhalese who lived in those countries cannot match the extent to the LTTE lobbying because Sinhalese does not extort money from fellow Sinhalese and nor organized as the LTTE.

[eureka14]

01:04 AM on 08/24/2011

Why was LTTE born after 30 years of ''independence''?
Jayantha Dhanapala’s submission to Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission(LLRC), 25 August 2010: ‘’Each and every Government which held office from 1948 till the present bear culpability for the failure to achieve good governance, national unity and a framework of peace, stability and economic development in which all ethnic, religious and other groups could live in security and equality. Our inability to manage our own internal affairs has led to foreign intervention but more seriously has led to the taking of arms by a desperate group of our citizens.’’

[Ruwan Dissanayake]

02:03 AM on 08/24/2011

The LTTE was the child of Wadukkodai resolution in 1976, which is resultant of the racial politics of Arunachalam, Ponnambalam, Chelvanayakam etc.

[Ruwan Dissanayake]

02:43 AM on 08/24/2011

Unfortunately, the LTTE killed TULF leader Appapillai Amirthalingam who was the successor of Chelvanayakam, who fathered the waddukodai resolution. Amirthalingam also actively participated in formulating this resolution. This is another good example that the LTTE do not care even its own supporters. If something goes wrong slightly, even the friend of the LTTE has to pay with his blood. That is why we urge the western governments not to entertain the LTTE for a few votes. They will turn the point of the gun to such leaders sooner or later. Then people in such countries are too late to find solutions.

[eureka14]

01:09 AM on 08/24/2011

''Sinhalese does not extort money from fellow Sinhalese and nor organized as the LTTE''

The Sinhalese government and armed forces do it for the Sinhalese and that's why the LTTE was formed in the first place:

http://groundviews.org/2010/09/23/submissions-before-lessons-learnt-reconciliation-committee-llrc-by-chandra-jayaratne/
Submission before Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Committee (LLRC) by Chandra Jayaratne, 23 September 2010: ‘’…... Years of inequitable allocation of national resources and consequential disparities in regional economic development, infrastructure development and public service delivery have sown the seeds of discontent and disillusionment leading to conflict, insurrections of the South and the North and even the armed struggle towards a separate administration ....’’

[Spiritual Peace]

11:28 PM on 08/21/2011

A balanced, well researched article with solid references. It is ABOUT time Sinhala and Tamil people lived with true democracy instead of dictatorship.

Perception and Truth
================
With all due respect to President Abraham Lincoln, altering his quote to apply to Sri Lanka:
"Chauvinst Govt. Leaders can fool some of the people (both Sinhala & Tamil) all of the time (1948-2009?) , and all of the people (both Sinhala and Tamil people) some of the time (‘war on terrorism’ etc), but you can NOT fool all of the people (the world!) ALL of the time(1948-????)."

Example1:
- Originally Ceylon renamed to Sri Lanka.
- then Republic of Sri Lanka,
finally Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

Did these words mean any TRUTH for the people of Sri Lanka?

Example 2:
OK, will a true leader say this?

Incumbent President Jayawardene, 1983:
The statement of President J.R. Jayawardene to the Daily Telegraph on July 11, 1983 while state organized race riots were slaughtering Tamils by the thousands and displacing more than 100,000: “I am not worried about the opinion of the Tamil people…now we cannot think of them, not about their lives or their opinion…the more you put pressure in the north, the happier the Sinhala people will be here…Really if I starve the Tamils out, the Sinhalese people will be happy.”

May God bring out the 'divinity' in the people in Sri Lanka as well as the World with accountability and reconciliation.

[Ruwan Dissanayake]

11:01 AM on 08/20/2011

Dear Investors,

Please invest your valuable money in our country. If your investment can diverted to north and east provinces, it would be a big benefit to the innocent Tamil people who are strugelling to stand by theirown feet. Giving aids is not a sustainable approach in longterm, we need to create opportunities to these war affected people. Doing bussiness with some dimension of social responsibility will give you good marketing opportunity for your companies.

[eureka14]

11:51 PM on 08/21/2011

Government expenditure in a region shouldn't be related to the votes it gets. All the regions must get its share. lackof economic investment in the Northeast has been the main resultant grievance through absence of political power devolution. In the last two years the government has been spending in building huge housing complexes for the military while it has been preventing aid agents from helping the IDPs find their feet. Once they find their feet they wouldn't want any more aid.

The governor in the Eastern Province is obstructing the development pland of the elected members. The elections of Northern Province get postponed though Presidentil and General elections were held rearly last year.

Tamil businessmen have harassment from the army. They have been forced to join the government party. Tamil visitors with the intention of investment have danger lurking in all corners in the province. Why have the reporters been not allowed in for a long time?

Land belonging to the Tamils are forcibly taken over and given to Sinhala and foreign businessmen - parliamentarians told the parliament.

[Ruwan Dissanayake]

10:24 AM on 08/20/2011

UPFA (governing party of the country) also does not have good party structures in north. Despite these constraints, the government got 30% and 45% of Tamil's vote in Jaffna and Killinochchi districts, respectively. That is very good start. That percentage is higher than the percentage obtained by the main opposition in the country. The government was able to get more Tamil votes in the local government elections than the presidential election. That shows Tamil people have not rejected but their improvement of confidence towards the government.

[eureka14]

11:57 PM on 08/21/2011

Candidates from other parties are prevented from electioneering in many areas.They have even been attacked by the army.

They must be able to live without fear for physical safety:
http://transcurrents.com/news-views/archives/3228
Journalist attacked near army checkpoint
http://transcurrents.com/news-views/archives/3281
sexual assault on women in highly militarised region
http://transcurrents.com/news-views/archives/3212
army taking away the work of the ordinary people

[Ruwan Dissanayake]

09:27 AM on 08/22/2011

Only one incident was recorded of army attacking or disturbing political activities leading to the Local Government elections. In this incident, Army has not attacked to any Tamil politician but to a Sinhala policeman from the Ministerial Security Division (MSD) for some bad argument. However I do not agree even such disturbances. However, the beneficiary of this incident was the TNA. The TNA was able to market this incident in the North and among ICs. They exaggerated it out of proportion.

However, nobody talks about the cutting of fingers of the person who went to cast vote in 2005 presidential election, by the LTTE. He was the only person went for voting due to threats of the LTTE. The LTTE rigged the vote on behalf of TNA during the parliamentary election, 2004. All these incidents were well documented by the European Union Observatory group. But you were tight lipped those days.

On the other hand if there were any vote rigging by parties supporting the government, the TNA could not win the election. As the TNA won the election with good margin, it shows all these allegations are lies or out of proportion to the actual incident.

[Ruwan Dissanayake]

10:24 AM on 08/20/2011

Regarding the success of TNA in the local government elections, you have to analyse the situation with clear insight on the secret of winning elections anywhere. Due to the war, main political parties could not develop grass root political structures in north province. The TULF and the TNA are only parties who hold good political structures in the ground level in north. Without a political structure you cannot win elections.

[eureka14]

06:58 AM on 08/22/2011

http://www.aljazeera.com/video/asia/2011/08/2011821401773917.html
Human scars of Sri Lankan war neglected, 21 August 2011:
Two years after the end of Sri Lanka's civil war, the north's roads, railways and homes are being rebuilt. But little attention has been placed on helping a population suffering from the trauma of being caught in the middle of decades of fighting.

Mental health workers have told Al Jazeera that not only is the treatment of post-traumatic stress not a priority for the government, but that in some cases the military has refused to allow counsellors in to reach affected people.

Al Jazeera's Steve Chao was granted special permission to report in the still sensitive area of northern Sri Lanka.

[Rochelle Anand]

07:17 AM on 08/20/2011

Dear Investors,

In a country where military approval is required for all civil administrations,I doubt whether you money will be safe in the hands of military.!

UN has reported Srilanka is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Tamils,are you prepared to bury your moral values and invest in such a country??

[eureka14]

12:12 PM on 08/19/2011

http://english.aljazeera.net/video/asia/2011/08/201181961013879359.html
Tamil anger at army's influence in Sri Lanka

[Ciero]

11:01 AM on 08/19/2011

Rape by Sri Lankan troops – in HAITI: "MADE IN SRI LANKA" label gives impunity to a Sexual abuse by Sri Lankan soldiers, not just in Sri Lanka but also far from there, in Haiti, where serving under UN, Sri Lankan Army committed sexual violence on Haitian women and teens.

The triumphalist Sri Lankan Army and the Chauvinistic government of Sri Lanka has not punished the criminals to date.

[maheshwar]

08:50 AM on 08/19/2011

Thank you for scaring away the vampires. I love you.
Don't eat at McDonalds , go to whole foods, I want your service for a long time to come.

[Ric-Brown]

12:57 AM on 08/19/2011

I have friends who are both Tamil and Sinhalese. What is striking is the disconnect between the two communities and from the facts that get reported by some brave journalists who are not taken on a guided tour.

Video footage by BBC shows war memorials being built by the army in the Tamil areas while the civilians are left to suffer. Pictures of journalists who have been beaten up or killed continue to emerge. HRW has stated that there was no justice to the Aid workers who were killed. Al Jazeera posted pictures of soldiers opening up tailor shops in the north. French paper Le Temps had a report on the conditions in Sri Lanka once the veil is lifted. The former Chief Justice has warned of corruption. The Sinhalese people choose to not see what is in plain sight.

The Tamils on the other hand fail to see why the average Sinhalese despises them. They don't seem to be able to comprehend why carrying a controversial flag and talking of a dead leader is not going to make them friends of anyone. They somehow expect Western governments will help them while not willing to accept the change in reality. They should focus on liberating the truth before liberating the land or their people.

[maheshwar]

08:41 AM on 08/19/2011

Srilanka is better off without US investments, I love this man for scaring the Vampires away.

[eureka14]

11:59 AM on 08/19/2011

1956, 1958, 1961 riots started before the tiger s were born.

[Ruwan Dissanayake]

01:22 PM on 08/19/2011

Even though I do not tolerate any killing of innocent Tamil or Sinhalese, all riots occurred always in response to provocations by Tamil extremist groups during that time. The so called peaceful demonstrations led by Chelvanayakam were not so peaceful. The supporters of these demonstrations ignited violence, destroyed and vandalised public property and killed police personals (unfortunately Tamil policemen). Sinhalese who did not get the big picture or strategy of these extremist groups at that time fell voluntarily into the traps of these groups. So you cannot point your finger only to Sinhalese. You have to remember three fingers are towards you.

The best example is 1983 riot, which erupted after killing of 13 soldiers by the LTTE. That time death of 13 soldiers was shocking news to Sinhalese. During the funerals at the Borella cemetery, Colombo, there were some angry speeches by some politicians against this brutal killing. At the end of the funerals, angered people went to streets resulting in an unfortunate incident. Even though it was rumoured 1000s of deaths, the actual deaths were about 450, which included about 150 deaths of Sinhalese occurred due to retaliatory attacks in the north provinces.

[Ruwan Dissanayake]

01:24 PM on 08/19/2011

However, after 1983, there were no retaliatory attacks against Tamils by Sinhalese nevertheless there were numerous provocations by the LTTE. For instance no harm happened to Tamils when the LTTE Killed Buddhist devotees (about 100) at Sri Maha Bodhi (Boo tree), Anuradhapura, one of the most sacred place of Buddhists and Killing and destruction of the most sacred Temple of Tooth, Kandy. This is because we understood the modus operandi of the LTTE. They expected retaliatory attacks to Tamils by provoking Sinhalese by killing entire population of some villages and attacking religious and culturally sensitive places. The LTTE knew that the international media and so called international community would only speak of attacks on Tamils. The ICs seems to think that only the Tamils have right to live.

[viyasan viyasan]

11:58 PM on 08/18/2011

Please see this video from FRANCE24 to see the ETHNIC CLEANISNG going on in the historic Tamil areas of Sri Lanka.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZhS9_ubJFA

.
The truth is the Tamil IDP's are languishing in makeshift tents along the road sides while the foreign aid received to settle them is being used to build fancy houses for Sinhala settlers in the historic habitat of Tamils. The Tamil fishermen are not allowed to fish in their traditional sea but the Sinhala fishermen settlers are brought in from the South and are occupying the Tamil's houses. From Jaffna to Amparai, the entire coast is being occupied by the Sinhala fishermen. Just a few days ago they settled thousands of Sinhala families in Mullaitivu, Vanni and in Jaffna peninsula.

[seansal]

07:21 AM on 08/19/2011

Shameful comment by some who only gets the news from youtube. Please visit Sri Lanka first.

[maheshwar]

08:45 AM on 08/19/2011

Man you got absolutely free education , absolutely free healthcare, now crapping into the river that you drank from.
Srilanka is for Srilankans, Srilankans can live anywhere they chose to.
We live in Wellwathe in the heart of colombo we are tamil , nobody kills us.
I am an atheist but my friends go to "kovil" -tamil temple.
Scare away the vampires.

[mangkaru]

11:22 PM on 08/18/2011

I am a US Citizen doing business in Lanka since 2002. I just moved to Sri Lanka 2 weeks ago to live here for good, with my family. I see the absolute opposite of what you are describing here. Government even took us on a tour to promote investment in North and East. They are strongly encouraging us to do so, in many ways. I see they are re-building the entire North and East with tax money earned elsewhere. I wish we had this government since 1983, today Sri Lanka would have been the hong kong of south asia. I see lot of poor people, but it is not limited to any ethnicity, we find poor all over the country. So please do not use huffintonpost, a news site that we count on for the truth, to spread your agenda. Go to Sri Lanka, see it for your self, then write!

[Ciero]

12:01 AM on 08/19/2011

The first business of independent Ceylon in August 1948 (Now Sri Lanka) is disenfranchisement of Tamils thru 'Ceylon Citizenship Act'. In August 2011 many fig leaves are presented by Government of Sri Lanka and even the BBC - Sinhala Service has reported that the war affected Tamil returnees are not allowed to return to their original places today.

Many of the human rights violations and ethnic cleansing in diluting Tamil areas of Sri Lanka follow patterns of the current military onslaught being carried out by Sudan in Nuba Mountains in the midst of the birth of South Sudan.

Why would the garment industry put a a 'Made in Sri Lanka' label and help propel an economy of a tyrannic family run government that triumphs nationalism to subjugate minorities?.

[Ruwan Dissanayake]

01:00 AM on 08/19/2011

This is half truth. As late SJV Celvanayakam and the TULF party who passed Wadukodai resolution in 1976 leading to creation of the LTTE, exploited the upcountry issues to the advantage of the Chelvanayakam's agenda of separation of the country, you tell half truth about disenfranchisement (All the other situations, the TULF leadership discriminated the Indian Tamils in Sri Lanka and their leadership). Therefore Indian Tamils' leadership worked with the GOSL more than with the TULF leadership.

Whether it is right or wrong, disenfranchisement was not of the Sri Lankan Tamils. It is Indian Tamils who were brought to Sri Lanka by the colonists for British tea plantations. The idea of disenfranchisement was to send them back to India after Sri Lanka got independence because India agreed to take them back. For this purpose, an agreement was signed between Sri Lankan and Indian prime ministers Bandaranayake and Shasthri, respectively. It was sabotaged by the Norwegian NGO called Redbana. However, the political leaderships (late Thondaman Sr.) of the Indian Tamils worked constructively to solve that issue. Now all Indian Tamils have voting rights and more other benefits. Sri Lankan Tamils abandoned the path of dialogue and created the monstrous terrorist group called the LTTE under the Wadukodai resolution of Chelvanayakam. The result is the much admired culture of Sri Lankan Tamils was destroyed with suicide bomb culture. You people still have opportunity if you leave extremes and engage the GOSL and find a solution as late but great Thomdaman Sr.

[mangkaru]

10:36 PM on 08/19/2011

What I have mentioned is what I see on the ground. There is no "military onslaught", but of course we see a lot of them. Hello, it just recovered from a bloody war. They make us feel comfortable when we visit there for investments.

No one is allowed to go to lands full of land mines or booby traps left by LTTE, they do not explode after checking your race, age or gender.

[eureka14]

06:58 AM on 08/19/2011

What you say is contrary to the reports coming from there - you-re asked to speak lies for the government and you're obliging them:

“Nothing happens here without the knowledge and connivance of the army” - Wanni’s post-war LEAP: TWO YEARS AFTER THE WAR, Ranga Jayasuriya, 15 May 2011, http://www.lakbimanews.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1456:wannis-post-war-leap&catid=35:news-features&Itemid=37