Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. The island is historically and culturally intertwined with the Indian subcontinent but is geographically separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. The legislative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the commercial capital and largest city, Colombo.
Sri Lanka was known from the beginning of British colonial rule as Ceylon. A nationalist political movement arose in the country in the early 20th century to obtain political independence, which was granted in 1948; the country became a republic and adopted its current name in 1972. Sri Lanka’s recent history has been marred by a 30-year civil war, ended in May 2009 dealing with a post-conflict strained society.
Some people are under an illusion thinking that we achieved peace by winning the war. We have to question whether everyone is happy with the situation. The civil war lasted over 25 years produced a political fragmentation, deep ethnic division, and weak economy The war ended leaving behind several casualties, trauma, destruction of public utilities and civilian properties, and innumerable human rights violations.
To achieve sustainable peace and reconciliation, transitional justice is important to address past abuses in a proper manner with the legitimate mechanism. This process is not a goal or an event. It is a lifestyle and attitude-changing. We have a long journey to go, in order to achieve sustainable peace. Reconciliation, peace-building, and transformation of the politics and economy are essential for Sri Lanka to heal.
An absence of war or armed conflict in and of itself does not automatically lead to peace and reconciliation. It has been a decade after finishing the war. But For the past decade what have, we achieved in the peace journey? What you, as an individual, have done? More than anything else, as the young generation who owns the future of this country, what have we done? Scars and wounds are there and what have we truly done as a nation to heal those bleeding wounds?
Recognizing this Council of Justices of the Peace of Sri Lanka is formed to dedicate in defending and promoting respect for human rights and social justice in Sri Lanka
