Deepening Militarization in Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka's cabinet has recently approved the creation of a development organization which is to be comprised of both civilians and members of the military. The announcement was made by cabinet spokesperson Gayantha Karunathilake in Colombo.

How significant might this news be?

According to Kusal Perera, a journalist based in Colombo, this development illustrates that Sri Lanka's new government "is far worse than the [Mahinda] Rajapaksa regime in playing against reconciliation and war crimes probes."

This news would also appear to directly contradict recent remarks from Mangala Samaraweera, the foreign minister. During a press conference in Colombo earlier this month, Samaraweera indicated that Sri Lanka would "complete the demilitarization process" by 2018. That's a pretty bold plan. After all, demilitarization has not even begun. Samaraweera's already dubious assertion looks even less credible now.

Militarization in Sri Lanka is nothing new. For the past several years, military personnel have been engaged in a host of civilian commercial and social activity, especially in the Tamil-majority Northern and Eastern Provinces. This includes tourism and agriculture. Their strong presence has also contributed to significant social problems for civilians.

Perera believes that President Maithripala Sirisena would like to present himself as "more Sinhala-Buddhist than [the] Rajapaksas and that he even accommodates the military."

As the international community continues to praise Colombo, militarization is something to watch closely. Frankly, the country's continued militarization would all but ensure that the island nation's transitional justice process is built upon a very flimsy foundation.