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Promoting North-South contact

Besides giving negotiations a chance, the strengthening of people-to-people contact between North and South, should emerge as a prime requirement to those steering the Lankan peace process, in the days ahead. Peace is not only a matter for governments and rebels.

It is also of crucial concern for the ordinary people who yearn for permanent stability so as to enable them to go ahead with the business of living and realising their legitimate aspirations, besides fulfilling their essential needs.

Any peace strategy has to take deep cognizance of this human dimension if it is to bear fruit and we hope provision is being made for the cooptation of the people and their grass roots organisations in the onward march to a peaceful Sri Lanka.

The separatist rebellion in Sri Lanka grew out of a thwarting of popular aspirations among other factors and it is through a fulfilling of these yearnings that complete peace could be restored in this country.

If a political solution which is acceptable to most sections of the people is to be evolved, mutual understanding and accommodation is essential among the country's principal ethnic groups.

Such a happy situation could only be brought about through stepped-up people-to-people contact between North and South. This is the reason why the State is obliged to ensure the ground conditions which would promote such a process.

The Government has done well to increase facilities for travel by air and sea between North and South. This would enable stepped-up commuter transport between the regions and promote a greater degree of contact between the principal ethnic groups. We now learn that ways are being explored to reopen the Kandy-Jaffna road.

This would further enhance North-South contact besides bringing about a gradual upgrading of economic and business links.

Before the eruption of the North-East war, there existed a veritable symbiotic economic linkage between North and South. The produce of Northern farmers, such as onions and chillies, flowed freely into Southern markets and Southern goods found their way into Northern markets. This enabled many a Northern youth to find a suitable livelihood, besides fostering a healthy economic inter-dependence between North and South.

At this crucial juncture when all peaceful means are being sought to resolve the conflict, we badly need to enhance interaction between the main ethnic groups, in not only the economic sphere, but also on the cultural and social planes. Knowing 'the Other' in all possible ways is a crucial means of bringing about reconciliation and understanding.

• Editorial of  The Observer - 29.01.2002:
  Cease-fire: Maintaining equilibrium

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