A Womens Perspective on Peace in Sri Lanka

MORE and more people are expressing the opinion that the only possible solution to the existing situation in Sri Lanka is a military one, that antagonism between Sinhalese and Tamils has now reached such levels that a peaceful settlement is out of the question; and indeed, if one looks at the demands and statements of those who claim to represent the two communities, this conclusion seems to be valid. When the President of Sri Lanka, supposedly repre-senting the Sinhalese people in Sri Lanka, asserts that This is a Sinhala country', while the Tamil militants, supposedly representing the Tamil people, put in a claim for a Tamil homeland within Sri Lanka, it seems as if there is no alternative but for them to fight it out. According to this view, there are only two possible outcomes to the present con-flict: either the establishment of a Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka, or a liquidation of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka.