Colombo: Under Siege?
Colombo has gradually degenerated into a sinister looking, ‘frightened city’. During the past few months roads have been blocked, speeding convoys disrupt normal traffic, traffic is directed one way, (which is still rather disorienting) and men in khaki walk around carrying T56s watching, wary. The stalling of the peace process and the military offensives have had their toll on Colombo. It seems as if the normal civilian life has been changed, Sri Lankans seem to be under siege and there are hardly any questions about how one deals with it and its overall impact on civilian life. This short writing is not a judgment on whether Colombo should be under siege or not but rather to illuminate the situation and what can be done within the framework.
The high security areas in Colombo are fear instilling. For example going past the President’s office is a bit of a heckler all on its own, one has to cross the road to the other side and more often than not one is stopped and asked where they are from, where they are going and where they are employed etc. Soldiers making small talk, of course there is a rationale behind this. This is to distinguish if one can speak Sinhalese fluently. What one does with this information is still a bit dodgy though since there are plenty of fluent Sinhalese speakers who are a ‘threat to national security’. Be that as it may one has to engage in frivolous conversation to prove one’s language skills which could be a bit uncomfortable.
Then there are regions in the North and East where being under siege is jarringly woven into daily life for the past few decades. In a situation where personnel from the three forces come into direct contact with civilians away from traditional theaters of war it is essential to minimize friction and tension between the civilians and the military. The civilian populations must survive the siege, as in many instances the theatres of war are brought into civilian space. The impact of long term military occupancy on populations in these areas has to be taken into consideration in a post conflict scenario to bring ‘normalcy’ into these regions.
There are of course other sides to viewing and understanding this phenomenon. It is indeed a complex situation where young men are asked to eliminate any threat to national security and guard their homeland. The fear and anxiety of the soldier on duty seems usually to be ignored. The empathy that one could feel for the soldiers is also limited in this context.
The impact of being under siege for short or long periods on civilian life has to be assessed, it is essential that friction between the civilians and forces are minimized through training, awareness raising and discipline, so that the civilian ‘spirit’ is not crushed under siege.
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And what about those who are NOT fluent Sinhala speakers, and who are NOT a ‘threat to national security’?
In a nutshell, isn’t this what Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict is all about?
Hi M,
National security is one thing, human security another. I’m surprised that your article weaves in national security without examining how it is perceived. For many in the South, national security is now a blanket phrase that as Malinda Seneviratne points to in today’s Daily Mirror, is very convenient for the Government to also cover up double digit inflation & the rising cost of living.
Also, there was a young group of activists last year that I heard about who went around Colombo (don’t know if they did this elsewhere as well) with leaflets of the rights of citizens at checkpoints, that were issued by the Government itself last year.
A related post on Ravana’s blog here – http://ravana.wordpress.com/2006/07/14/checkpoints-in-sri-lanka-know-your-rights/ – the original directives on the President’s website – http://www.presidentsl.org/data/html/news/200607/20060704news2.htm
where were you during the nineties? The atmosphere was pretty much the same…there was ‘normal’ civilian life for what 3-4 years…this is nothing new…though I must say this time around I found the army guys a lot more pleasant…and much less scary than back in the day…
N,
Agree, from what I remember in those formative years. But “back in the day” you had an overtly militant JVP and a bloody insurrection to deal with too.
As N says, and I agree, the Colombo atmosphere is way better than it was in the ’90s, with train bombings, the Central Bank and Kolonnawa destroyed, and VIPs assassinated. Right now, while people are edgy and wary, there isn’t the fear of a highly successful terror group.
Peter_S – I’m talking about the time after the insurrection…like David mentioned Central Bank, JOC bombings time. What is the LTTE now, underly militant? And we have a terrorist organization to deal with as opposed to an insurrection.
David,
“…there isn’t the fear of a highly successful terror group.” – care to explain that?
Do you mean to say that we’ve won the war and the LTTE are babes and sucklings looking for the maternal warmth that only Mahinda and his government can provide? Not saying that this wretched garrison mentality should continue, but it’s inevitable I feel in light of the situation in the country, and the barricades can and will only go away when there’s a political solution brought about to the situation in the N & E.
“Do you mean to say that we’ve won the war and the LTTE are babes and sucklings looking for the maternal warmth that only Mahinda and his government can provide?”
Nope. What I meant was that in the mid- to late-’90s, the LTTE was very successful in its attacks on Colombo, unlike it’s been in the last year. A successful and efficient terror organisation creates a level of fear far in excess of an unsuccessful and seemingly incompetent one. The LTTE has in no way been defeated yet, but public perception is that they’ve been given an unprecedented arse-kicking and that we’re doing much better than we’ve done in years. Nothing succeeds like success (except a budgie without teeth, of course).
What worries me more is the pure fact that after living in war footing conditions for the past two decades we/the country has become totally violent in the way we live our lives. Life is not worth much in Sri Lanka anymore. And the truth of the matter is that private armies, thuggery, and violence are common place. The ethinic violence quite honestly will not cease soon, that is us, Sri Lankans. But the way we live and the fact that we accept it, must stop. What are we going to do about the fact that we have over 100,000 fully trained ex-military personnel now looking for employment in Colombo, who hires them. Why do we openly accept that the way we live is acceptable. David is a good friend of mine and I agree with him on his views of the LTTE, but the issue I see I think is far more important as this some thing that we can change and we must change. Or we very carry the risk of becoming for the want of a better word, a banna republic. Why do people not want to hear this aspect of living in Colombo. Recently I discussed this with some friends, Sri Lankans, I was appalled when they said that it happens all over the world, accept it. I remember Sri Lanka 20 years ago, we did not live like we live now then. The LTTE is a long term problem, it always will be. I actually have complete confidence in the present government and the policymakers to respond approproately to this threat. As I also know some of these figures in the SLGOV personally, my fear is that they will accept the way we live in Sri Lanka now as acceptable.