The number of lives saved in Sri Lanka in the past five months of ceasefire probably amounts to about 1500, given an average death toll of 10 per day of conflict. The ceasefire has had other benefits as well; the fear of sudden bomb blasts does not disrupt day-to-day life anymore. A general sense of improved security pervades public life. But with the passage of time the benefits of peace appear to be slipping out of the public debate, as the recent focus of both political and media attention has been on the shortcomings of the peace process. A commonly voiced complaint is that the government is giving in to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) without getting back anything in return, leading to a feeling that the LTTE is getting the better part of the deal. The bottom line is whether the country is prepared to pay the price of war again for extracting more concessions from the LTTE than Colombo has so far been able to get.
The number of lives saved in Sri Lanka in the past five months of ceasefire probably amounts to about 1500, given an average death toll of 10 per day of conflict. The ceasefire has had other benefits as well; the fear of sudden bomb blasts does not disrupt day-to-day life anymore. A general sense of improved security pervades public life. But with the passage of time the benefits of peace appear to be slipping out of the public debate, as the recent focus of both political and media attention has been on the shortcomings of the peace process. A commonly voiced complaint is that the government is giving in to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) without getting back anything in return, leading to a feeling that the LTTE is getting the better part of the deal. The bottom line is whether the country is prepared to pay the price of war again for extracting more concessions from the LTTE than Colombo has so far been able to get.
Certainly, there are major persistent problems, some of which have even been aggravated in this time of ceasefire. For instance, international monitors have issued a ruling critical of the LTTE's refusal to open the A-9 highway to Jaffna to uninterrupted passenger traffic. Human rights organisations have challenged the main actors in the peace process for not doing enough to put a halt to continuing human rights abuses, including the recruitment of children by the LTTE. There has also been a failure on the part of international monitors in giving advance notice of the movements of the LTTE and Sri Lankan armed forces.
On the one hand there are all these issues that threaten the long-term sustainability of the ceasefire. On the other hand, the benefits of the ceasefire are being taken more or less for granted, and even being dismissed as unworthy. One of the most important benefits of this period of peace has been that the growth of ethnic polarisation has been halted. In addition, thanks to the ceasefire agreement, most roads in the north and east have been opened to passenger traffic and the markets are beginning to function, helping revive the formerly embargoed LTTE-controlled Wanni.