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A PEACE PLAN FOR SRI LANKA ©2008 Dr Romesh Senewiratne

Steps to pursue for a lasting peace in Sri Lanka:

1. Introduction of trilingual education (Sinhalese, Tamil and English) in
primary schools and secondary schools throughout Sri Lanka.
2. Reforms ensuring redistribution of wealth to needy citizens.
3. Establishment of higher minimum wage.
4. Submissions for new Bill of Rights ensuring cultural and linguistic rights
for minorities.
5. Abolition of the „Sinhala Only Act‟.
6. Abolition of „Prevention of Terrorism Act‟.
7. Arrest of those involved in war crimes in Sri Lanka (1982-2008),
including relevant commanding officers of GOSL (Government of Sri
Lanka) and LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam).
8. Prosecution of those involved in war crimes in Sri Lanka (1983-2008).
9. Public investigation and public disclosure of all arms deals made by
Government of Sri Lanka (1983-2008).
10. Public investigation and public disclosure of all arms deals made by
LTTE (1983-2008).

11. University-based research and education programs studying specific

health, environmental and economic problems in Sri Lanka.

12. Focus on trilingual and multilingual competence in universities,

especially in medical education, legal studies, history and politics.
13. Retraining of medical profession and health-care workers into peace-time
medical care.
14. Building of cyclotron facility in Sri Lanka for provision of necessary
medical nuclear isotopes.
15. Devolution of funds for education, social services and health to rural and
peripheral regions with corresponding strengthening of local government
infrastructure.
16. Integration of existing public University system with focus of
development of non-divisive educational practices, including
propaganda-free education in science, politics, law, economics and the
arts with opportunities for trilingual tertiary education in all courses.
17. New University-based publication and promotion infrastructure to
market, locally and internationally, local literature, music, art, science
and technology, historical and anthropological studies, medicine and
other areas of study in English, Singhalese, Tamil and Sanskrit.
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18. Introduction of widespread opportunities to study Sanskrit, Pali and

Prakrit in primary, secondary and tertiary education.
19. Creation of learning centres for study of Chinese, Indian, South-East
Asian and African languages.
20. Government-funded research into history and anthropology of
Indigenous people of Sri Lanka (Veddahs).
21. University and school-based popular scientific study and photographic
documentation of existing fauna and flora in Sri Lanka.
22. National irrigation program for rural areas using renovation of existing
and ancient irrigation tanks.
23. National program of revegetation.

24. Disarming of police and police to be trained in use of digital cameras

to record and discourage public crimes.
25. Unarmed UN/International observers to inspect sites of massacres and
other crimes against humanity to collect photographic, DNA and other
forensic evidence.
26. Re-education of non-indictable members of Sri Lanka Armed Forces and
Police force based on non-violent means of conflict resolution.
27. Sri Lankan armed forces to be constitutionally limited to protecting the
nation from external threats and environmental threats.
28. Retraining of armed forces to confront environmental threats, including
removal of landmines, reforestation and recognition of indigenous fauna
and flora.
29. Expansion of police and military use of computer technology to trace
international funding sources for weapons.

30. Reform of banking sector with restriction of foreign withdrawals

31. Abolition of “free trade zones” and "high security zones" and prosecution
of those involved in human rights abuses in such zones.
32. Change of government policy regarding languages of correspondence
with Singhalese, Tamil and English translations provided on all forms,
letters and publications.
33. Formation of a National Centre for Peace Studies in Colombo, Kandy
Trincomalee, Galle and Jaffna.
34. Safeguards in new constitution to protect against discrimination against
racial, linguistic, religious or political minority groups.
35. Promotion of a multicultural, multilingual national identity.
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A PEACE PLAN FOR SRI LANKA

While the conflict in Sri Lanka is generally portrayed as one between

different races, the actuality is far more complex. There are conflicts
between religious groups (Buddhists, Hindus, Moslems and Christians) and,
perhaps more importantly, between classes. In the class war in Sri Lanka
haves are pitted against have-nots. The class structure in Sri Lanka has long
been extreme – with „middle class‟ families having live-in servants to do
their bidding, to cook for them, to clean, shop and look after the children.
This is especially the case with the “professional classes” which comprise
the highest echelon of the “post-colonial” class structure in Sri Lanka. On
the other hand, the economically and politically weakest population in Sri
Lanka are those denied tertiary education.

The second point in the peace plan, “Reforms ensuring redistribution of

wealth to needy citizens” is essential for resolving the war between the
classes in Sri Lanka. Redistribution of wealth in Sri Lanka is long overdue.
It can also be done peacefully, efficiently, justly and carefully.

The root cause of the conflict between the Sinhalese-speaking and Tamil-
speaking people in Sri Lanka is the fact that they have difficulty
understanding each other and are consequently suspicious of the other's
motives. Hence the plan to teach Sinhalese to Tamil children, Tamil to
Sinhalese children, and English to all children in Sri Lanka – from primary
school onwards.

Not long after the granting of Independence to what was then Ceylon in
1948, the 'Sinhala Only' act was introduced by the government of
S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike. This was in keeping with the decolonising spirit of
the times, designed to boost the position of the 'official language' - Sinhalese
(Singhalese), which, spoken by more than 70% of the population, is
indigenous to the island.

Tamil, designated the 'second language' in which children of 'pure-blooded'

Tamil children were obliged to study, is spoken by tens of millions in south
India, as well as by about 2.5 million of Sri Lanka's 20 million people. Of
these Tamil-speaking people, most identify themselves as 'Ceylon Tamils' as
opposed to 'Indian Tamils'. Indian Tamils are mainly descendants of
'indentured labour' brought to work in the British coffee and tea plantations
in the nineteenth century. The 'plantation Tamils', as they have been called,
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have long experienced appalling living conditions, with crowded, inadequate

housing, poor nutrition and dietary deficiencies, rampant infectious disease,
and grinding poverty aggravated by lack of educational opportunities. This
was the case under colonial rule by the British and remains the case today.

In contrast, the Ceylon Tamils enjoyed a somewhat privileged position under

the British, disproportionately represented in the colonial public service,
medical and engineering professions, and the legal profession. One reason
for this may have been the well-established colonial strategy of 'divide-and-
rule', and minority groups have systematically been placed in positions to
rule over the majority in many colonised countries.

Another reason was the fact that since India had long been colonised before
all of Ceylon succumbed to British rule, there were opportunities to obtain
degrees in universities in British India well before there were in Ceylon.
These were more readily available to Ceylon Tamils geographically close to
south India in Jaffna, than to the Singhalese-speaking majority. Thus a long
tradition of tertiary education in the 'status professions' of medicine, law and
engineering became a cultural feature of Ceylon Tamils well before the more
agriculturally-based Singhalese population pursued these professions with
the same enthusiasm.

To many Singhalese, the introduction of the Sinhala Only Act was a positive
assertion against colonial rule and dominance of the English language. The
postage stamps of Ceylon, at that time and since, include all three scripts -
Sinhala, Tamil and English. At the same time, English was demoted from
being the official language of government, in preference for Sinhala. In
ostensible efforts to reinvigorate the national languages of Sinhala and
Tamil, children were obliged to study in their 'mother tongue', while
opportunities to study in English were gradually reduced in both government
and private (Church) schools. Only children of mixed parentage, Burgher or
Muslim children were allowed to study in English, even in private schools.

While the intention might have been good, the effects of this policy have
been disastrous, not least because English has turned out to be the global
language of the computer age - affecting everything from the media to
medical texts and publications. To reach out to the rest of the multilingual
world every country requires expertise in understanding, reading, writing
and speaking English. At the same time, being fluent in one language does
not hinder fluency in others. Especially if introduced to many languages in
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infancy and early childhood, the human ability for multilingualism knows no
bounds.

Teaching Sanskrit at schools (in addition to Sinhala, Tamil and English)

would enable Sri Lankan children to study the mother language of all the
Indo-European languages. For those Singhalese who might resent the idea of
their children studying Tamil, it is worth considering the facts that Tamil is
the language spoken by the geographical neighbours of Sri Lanka (in
Southern India) and has a long history of use in Sri Lanka. It is also obvious
that trilingualism will increase the over-all language skills of Sri Lankan
children, and the knowledge and skills of a country‟s youth are its most
important investment in the future.

The education of children is where the potential wealth of Sri Lanka has
great capacity to increase. The country has long had a high literacy and
numeracy rate, now we have an opportunity to build on a long tradition of
education by investing in trilingual educational programs that have the
added advantage of ensuring a lasting peace in Sri Lanka. If Sri Lankan
children and adults recognise their common history and common needs, they
are less likely to become divided along racial, religious and linguistic lines.

The financial savings to the people of Sri Lanka by curtailing the foreign
purchase of arms and military technology would be immense. With a long
history of Buddhism in the island, and a recent history of prolonged warfare,
the support for a total ban on guns, bombs and landmines is likely to be
considerable. The possibility of creating the world‟s first weapon-free state
should not be squandered. Sri Lanka could lead the world in genuine peace
studies – leading by example. It is to be hoped that the police and armies of
the future will be more focussed on conflict resolution than conflict creation.
This will require retraining of the police and armed forces, after weeding out
those who have committed crimes against humanity over the past thirty
years. This „weeding out‟ will be necessary to create a new national defence
force focussed on foreign threats rather than fighting against Sri Lanka's
own citizens and residents.

For an enduring message of deterrence to future war crimes and human

rights atrocities, it is necessary that those who committed the worst of the
abuses of the past thirty years be brought to justice. This will inevitably
include senior members of the police and military as well as senior members
of the Tigers and other armed groups. All sides have been guilty of crimes
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against humanity in the recent war, and it is important that those implicated
in any serious crimes be arrested and prosecuted.

After decades of warfare, the entire infrastructure of a government and

society can be expected to be infected by the cancer of militarism.
Militaristic propaganda can infect all levels of education and permeate the
arts. Nevertheless I believe it is the educational system that provides Sri
Lanka with the best chance of ending the current conflict.

Romesh Senewiratne
Brisbane, Australia
20.1.2008