I went to hear a Sri Lankan peace activist yesterday. It is very hard to know what to do, in a situation where ‘apparently’ the war is over, Sri Lanka is now at peace, and even his friends are saying ‘Why do you keep going on about peace? You are just stirring things up.’ He explained a lot about what lies behind the Government’s triumphalism – particularly the fact that many other governments tried to smash the Tigers and failed, whereas they have succeeded. The situation is complex – I was surprised to hear that the majority language in Colombo, the capital, is Tamil, partly as a result of refugees from the fighting, and that at a social level the communities get on well – but the Tamils never bring up in conversation their political aspirations.
Also had breakfast with the Head of the South Sudan Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission. Only at Caux… He emphasised the same thing – there are lots of S Sudanese in the North and even if the referendum goes ahead and is a vote for independence, the two countries will still be closely connected with each other.
Carolyn Hayman, Chief Executive
At the Caux Forum for Human Security
