Sri Lanka’s ethnic divisions
How will the country deal with the rising chorus of war crimes allegations?
Sri Lanka is still struggling to reconcile its bitter ethnic divisions one year after the end of its decades-long civil war.
At least 80,000 people were killed in the conflict that ended with the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) last year.
Thousands of displaced Tamils are still holed up in camps. The LTTE began their war to carve out a separate Tamil state in Sri Lanka in 1983.
Tamil nationalists say their struggle was the result of years of persecution and discrimination by the Sinhalese majority.
The conflict nearly destroyed Sri Lanka’s economy and caused hardships for a significant part of its population.
The tactics of the Tamil Tigers – including the use of human shields, suicide bombings and child soldiers – prompted more than 30 countries to declare it a terrorist organisation.
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The Sri Lankan government has also come in for international criticism for alleged war crimes by its army and security forces.
Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary-general, says he is considering setting up a panel to brief him on Sri Lanka’s human right accountability.
On Thursday’s Riz Khan we ask: How will Sri Lanka deal with the rising chorus of war crimes allegations and how can it build bridges with the Tamil community?
Joining the programme will be Gamini Lakshman Peiris, Sri Lanka’s foreign minister.
This show aired from Thursday May 27, 2010.