Centre for Policy Alternatives on 31 March, 2016

Land Occupation in the Northern Province: A Commentary on Ground Realities and Recommendations for Reform

Land is a key issue for reconciliation in Sri Lanka. Reparations including the restitution of land, if implemented in the correct manner, can contribute to long-term peace building efforts and prevent further marginalisation of people who were affected by the war. With promises by the government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to initiate reforms including with transitional justice processes and mechanisms, the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) examines a key issue that is crucial for reparations and reconciliation in Sri Lanka: occupation of land in the Northern Province. While recognising a comprehensive study of this issue in Sri Lanka is needed, the present study examines the situation of land occupation in the Northern Province and comments on steps required if the GOSL is genuine in its commitments. CPA hopes that this initial study limited to the North, can be expanded to other parts of Sri Lanka, data gathered from such an exercise potentially feeding into reform processes and informing policy options.

Download the full report here.

land

Centre for Policy Alternatives on 31 March, 2016

SAMPUR: Documentary trailer

 

Ramupillai Nadarasa

Thousands of individuals from across Sri Lanka have been displaced for years, some multiple times.

For over a decade, the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has documented issues related to displacement and returns, advocating reform and litigating on unjust and arbitrary practices. Two cases CPA has followed closely for years, supporting litigation and advocating land releases and durable solutions include the areas in the Jaffna district and in Sampur, Trincomalee district. With the promise of reparations and reform by the present government, some progress has been made in both these areas -some land -owners being able to return home after years of displacement. In its most recent initiative, CPA has commissioned a documentary titled ‘SAMPUR’, capturing the continuing struggles with displacement, challenges awaiting return to ones home and the hope of a new future.

Shot and produced by the award-winning documentary filmmaker and visual journalist Kannan Arunasalam, the documentary will be launched on 6 April 2016 and will be available on www.tjsrilanka.org.

The trailer is available on Facebook and also on Vimeo. It can be also seen below.

SAMPUR: Trailer

Thousands of individuals from across Sri Lanka have been displaced for years, some multiple times. For over a decade, the Centre for Policy Alternatives (the institutional home of Groundviews) has documented issues related to displacement and returns, advocating reform and litigating on unjust and arbitrary practices. Two cases CPA has followed closely for years, supporting litigation and advocating land releases and durable solutions include the areas in the Jaffna district and in Sampur, Trincomalee district. With the promise of reparations and reform by the present government, some progress has been made in both these areas -some land -owners being able to return home after years of displacement. In its most recent initiative, CPA has commissioned a documentary titled ‘SAMPUR’, capturing the continuing struggles with displacement, challenges awaiting return to ones home and the hope of a new future. Shot and produced by the award-winning documentary filmmaker and visual journalist Kannan Arunasalam, the documentary will be launched on 6 April 2016.

Posted by Groundviews on Monday, March 28, 2016

Centre for Policy Alternatives on 31 March, 2016

Memorialisation for Transitional Justice in Sri Lanka: A Discussion Paper

Memorialisation is an important tool in addressing conflict situations where years of repression, social inequality and injustice have created polarised communities. Memory initiatives can be a great healer and an enabler of reconciliation, paving ways and opportunities for dialogue, understanding, apologising, acknowledging and addressing past violence between divided societies. The change in the political environment in 2015 brought with it a space for such reconciliatory action, and in this respect, the government made promises to establish mechanisms to deal with the past- specifically the 30-year ethnic conflict that ended in 2009.

Memorialisation can play a critical role in the government’s transitional justice agenda, specifically in terms of complementary measures that can help reinforce these systems that may take many months to set up. Further, memory initiatives can address grievances that are not captured fully by the structures promised by the government, while bringing together communities who have suffered similar issues such as disappearances, which were common not only during the 30-year conflict, but also during the two Southern insurrections.

In light of successive governments’ failures to adopt a balanced approach to memorialisation, and given the crucial role the State can play in either healing or dividing communities further, through national memorialisation initiatives it takes up during their tenure in government, this latest discussion paper by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) hopes to set out guidelines and best practices governments should adopt in their practice of memorialisation. It also highlights the need to adopt, by way of a National Policy on Memorialisation, a consistent and impartial approach to State practice of memorialisation.

This discussion paper is one in a series of policy papers related to transitional justice that the CPA hopes will facilitate discussion around incorporating international best practices in the government’s approach to dealing with the past.

Download the discussion paper in full here.

Memorialisation for Transitional Justice in Sri Lanka FINAL

Centre for Policy Alternatives on 23 March, 2016

Truth to Truth

Front Image

The International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims is marked globally on 24th March. It is a day to remember the victims of past abuses and promote the right to truth and justice. The right to truth is linked to governments’ duty and obligation to protect and guarantee human rights, to conduct effective investigations and to guarantee effective remedy and reparations.

The transitional justice discourse in Sri Lanka is reenergized with the adoption of the Resolution at the 30th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in September-October 2015. The consensus resolution, cosponsored by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL), is an important step in terms of recognizing past abuses and the need to investigate, prosecute, repair and reform within Sri Lanka. The GOSL has, in addition to confidence building measures such as reforming legislation and releasing lands to original owners, promised the establishment of four mechanisms in Sri Lanka- a special court, a commission for truth, justice, reconciliation and non-recurrence, an office of missing persons and office for reparations. These are critical steps in the road to reconciliation in Sri Lanka and must be fully implemented.

2016 will be a critical year in Sri Lanka and for Sri Lankans. The promises are many for a new Sri Lanka. Recognizing and reckoning with past abuses and introducing much needed reforms are critical if reconciliation is to have a chance.

This exhibition is a joint collaboration by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and the Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts (VAFA) to explore transitional justice via the medium of art. Fourteen emerging artists from across Sri Lanka discussed and debated concepts of transitional justice and its relevance to Sri Lanka at a residential workshop in February 2016 conducted by Chandraguptha Thenuwara and Bhavani Fonseka, followed by the production of art work that is on display at this exhibition. The exhibition commences on 24th March 2016, the International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims. This day and what it symbolizes is a poignant reminder for Sri Lankans of the need to recognize the past and promote truth, justice, reparations, non-repetition.

We hope the art work and literature around the theme of transitional justice will expand the discussions on transitional justice and provide a space for reflection, remedy and reform.

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Read this in Tamil and Sinhala.

Centre for Policy Alternatives on 18 March, 2016

LAUNCH: Right to the City Sri Lanka

18 March 2016, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) is pleased to announce the launch of an online initiative called Right to the City Sri Lanka with the aim of broadening the discussion on development, housing, displacement in Sri Lanka.

We have a lot of stories, photos, videos from our work with low income communities in Colombo as well as other work that we are involved in with key stakeholders. The idea is to combine this content with our research to create more awareness around the issues we are working on specific to urban development.

We will have a trilingual website soon but until then the content will be up on the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages shared below.

https://www.facebook.com/righttothecitysl/

https://twitter.com/right2thecitysl

https://www.instagram.com/righttothecitysl/

Please follow, like and importantly, contribute to the discussions with your ideas, opinions and feedback.

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