Saturday, January 12, 2008

Pearl of the East

Beautiful Ocean Views

Sunset Beaches
Sumptuous Lodgings
Beautiful Nights

A recent trip to Sri Lanka revealed a great vacation destination filled with friendly people and a wonderful climate for laying about the beach.

For those not familiar, Sri Lanka, known as the Pearl of the East or Pearl of the Indian Ocean, lies off the southern coast of India close to the state of Tamil Nadu.

It is believed that until the 1400’s there was a land bridge between northern Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu. The majority of people in Sri Lanka are Sinhalese who are believed to have come to Sri Lanka from Northern India. The largest ethnic minority are Tamils who migrated from Tamil Nadu in southern India. For the casual visitor at a resort, it seems an idyllic country populated by friendly people who have a pragmatic view of life. This attitude is belied by the ongoing civil war that will have been in effect for 25 years this summer. During a recent trip to Sri Lanka I unknowingly arrived on Hero’s Day, a day when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) honor those who have lost their lives pursuing the cause of establishing a state for Tamil people in the Northern and Eastern portions of the island of Sri Lanka (Tamil Eelam). In an attempt to eliminate the LTTE leadership, an air strike on the LTTE broadcast station was made to coincide with the broadcast recognizing that day. Within days, an LTTE suicide bomber made an attempt on the life of a Sri Lankan official and yet another bombing was carried out in Colombo. Rising hostilities have turned the capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, into an armed camp with many areas off limits and Sri Lankan soldiers patrolling the land


and the sea.


After a reduction in hostilities after a tenuous cease fire brokered by Norway in 2002 as well as another very short term reduction after the 2004 Tsunami, by the end of 2005 the two sides were back to business as usual with mutual atrocities by both sides the order of the day.
Though it seems the 2002 cease fire only reduced the hostilities, the formal ending of the 2002 cease fire by the Sri Lankan government this January has result in an escalation in military action, suicide attacks and roadside bombings. The Sri Lankan government has stated they are now committed to ending LTTE activity through military force within 6 months.

Since 1983, the civil war in Sri Lanka over the creation of a separate Tamil State, has resulted in the deaths of an estimated 70,000 people and the displacement of another 200,000 persons. For the sake of all those living in Sri Lanka, it is hoped that an end to this conflict and loss of life will come sooner rather than later.

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