The Hindu : Pluralism on test in Jaffna

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 12, 2002

International

International

Pluralism on test in Jaffna

By V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO. DEC. 11. A nasty political confrontation is on the cards in northern Sri Lanka, as the shadow of Tamil militant politics continues to loom over the fluid peace in the region. At test in this unfolding political battle is the working of pluralism at the ground level in the heartland of Tamil nationalism — the Jaffna Peninsula.

Over the weeks, there has been a build-up of tension over the activities of the Eelam Peoples' Democratic Party (EPDP), which is sharply opposed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Recent demonstrations, allegedly backed by the Tigers, against the EPDP took a turn for the worse on Tuesday, when at least nine persons were injured following police firing, sources in the north said.

Consequently, a group of human rights organisations and merchants has called for a total `hartal' in the Peninsula tomorrow. The protest is also likely to lead to a disruption of the crucial highway linking Jaffna to the rest of the country. Beyond the atmospherics of protests and hartals, is the crucial issue of the working of plurality at the ground level. The EPDP points out that following the ceasefire agreement it had disarmed itself and needed police protection. Earlier, the party had to leave a northern islet, Delft, following opposition by civilians, reportedly backed by the Tigers. The LTTE has maintained that it is not behind the protests and that they were ``spontaneous'' in nature.

In addition, according to reports, the EPDP has also been given a deadline by the end of the year to vacate its camps in the north. This build-up of confrontational politics by two Tamil groups — one a former militant party, which took to the parliamentary route a decade ago, and another which has, of late, said that it would explore a federal solution within a united Sri Lanka — is in sharp contrast to the euphoric environment over the recent Oslo agreement. Though there has not been a direct effect on the peace process yet, the seriousness of the issue is that it could well be a pointer to the shape of the state of affairs to come, unless important political issues such as the working of democracy and pluralism and human rights are addressed at the earliest.

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