http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=29207 Record Details Tue, 05 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=29207 http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/showRecord.php?RecordId=29207 The exodus from the conflict zone in Sri Lanka as well as the plight of those still trapped in it have not only become a major focus of international attention, but also raise questions about President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s ‘peace through war strategy’. The Sri Lankan government’s case for the final assault on a weakened LTTE irrespective of the “human catastrophe” needs to be challenged. Neither is there a guarantee that life for the affected population will change for the better once they leave government-controlled areas, indicating that the war could drag on indefinitely. Indeed, displacement would only add to their agony and uncertainty rather than contribute to peace and security. Apart from the loss and agony of escaping death from the “safe zone”, the question of return to traditional homes, reclaiming lost land and property, and insecurity about the future contribute to their distress. The plight of affected civilians caught in the narrow ‘no fire zone’ is even more pathetic. With government troops on one side and the inhuman LTTE on the other, trapped civilians despair for their survival. Estimates of civilians trapped inside the zone vary between 30,000 and 100,000. It has been reported that nearly 6,500 civilians have lost their lives and 14,000 have been injured since the beginning of this year. And to add to their misery intense shelling has also triggered starvation. As pointed out by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the situation for the trapped is “nothing short of catastrophic”. Entrapped victims are trying to find a way out. Their only hope appears to be the international community’s success in stopping the war. An end to shelling and air raids from government controlled areas is essential to ensure safe passage. Thus, the immediate test for the Rajapaksa government lies in how it deals with the issue of trapped civilians even as it pursues its war against the LTTE. The LTTE’s future has become inextricably linked with the fate of these beleaguered civilians. Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses