With the civil war coming to a close, an entire generation of young people now has the chance to experience relative peace. But what does this mean to young people who have grown up only knowing war? The second part of our documentary series presents perspectives of youth from more rural communities in Sri Lanka, speaking on their experiences of conflict and their ideas for moving forward.
The conflict has impacted young people in different ways. They have different aspirations and hopes for their future. These experiences and contrasts give rise to a unique set of testimonies. The first part of our documentary series on youth perspectives on peace, conflict and development, focuses on young urban voices.
PACT's overall purpose is to examine the root causes and contributory factors of conflict in Sri Lanka and to promote discussion on these themes. Many commentators are calling for the root causes of conflict to be addressed in a meaningful way. They argue that even if the LTTE is defeated militarily, the underlying conflict will continue until the addressal of these critical issues. Indeed, these issues existed long before the LTTE emerged as an armed militant group. What are these root causes, are they still relevant and what should be done about them? PACT's current feature seeks to unpack some of these issues
The editor of the Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickrematunge, is fatally shot in Colombo on his way to work by unidentified gunmen on motorcycles. Wickrematunge was rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency surgery, but later succumbed to his injuries.
On 10 November 2006, Nadarajah Raviraj, human rights activist and parliamentarian, was assassinated in Colombo. Two years on, PACT looks at his life and work and also other notable Sri Lankan activists killed for speaking out.
Expulsion of an estimated 70-100,000 Muslims from the Northern province by the LTTE. It is reported that Muslims were ordered to leave, giving them between 2 and 48 hours notice.
Anti-Tamil riots break out in parts of Colombo, and later spread to other areas, lasting one week. The riots are in response to the killing of 13 soldiers by the Tamil Tigers in Jaffna. The event is later remembered as 'Black July'. Estimates of Tamil deaths vary from 387 (official figures) to 3,000 Tamils; 18,000 Tamil homes and 5,000 shops were destroyed. Over 100,000 Tamils fled to India. A state of emergency is imposed.
