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.