Can a new constitution heal Sri Lanka’s wounds?
Sri Lanka’s government begins work on new constitution, as its president marks one year in office.
President Maithripala Sirisena has pledged to introduce sweeping constitutional reforms aimed at preventing his country from returning to ethnic war.
He told parliament he wants a new statute to guarantee the country will not see a repeat of the civil war that ended in 2009.
That conflict came to an end after 25 years of fighting between the government and the Tamil minority.
According to a United Nations report, at least 40,000 Tamil civilians may have been killed in just the final months of the civil war.
The Sri Lankan government has promised the UN Human Rights Council that it will investigate the alleged war crimes.
So, is a new constitution a good start for reconciliation and stability?
Presenter: Sami Zeidan
Guests:
Rohan Edirisingha – Constitutional academic and former professor in the faculty of law at the University of Colombo.
Sutharshan Sukumaran – Co-editor of the Tamil Guardian.
Alan Keenan – Senior analyst and Sri Lanka project director at the International Crisis Group.