DOING MORE TO PROMOTE RECONCILIATION AT LOCAL LEVEL TO SOLVE PEOPLE’S PROBLEMS--JEHAN PERERA

01 September 2014

One of the many benefits of the end of the war is the ability of Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims to mix with one another without the prospect of getting into trouble. During the time of war, such mixing was potentially problematic, as those who were Tamil could easily be suspected of having links with the LTTE. Therefore even those who were engaged in peace building were wary of bringing members of all ethnic communities together. There was also a second reason. This was the polarization that existed within the communities as they supported one side or the other. This was something that was far too volatile and controversial for anyone or any group to take up. So the issue of the war was, by and large, not discussed in multi-ethnic settings. It was safer to do so in mono-ethnic settings.
Doing More to Promote Reconciliation at Local Level to Solve People’s Problems--jehan Perera by Thavam Ratna