Sri Lanka's retreat into language of conspiracy

Colombo has been busily preparing for the Commonwealth summit

By George Alagiah-14 November 2013

The last time I came to Sri Lana the !o"rney #rom the international air$ort intothe ca$ital% &olombo% too more than three ho"rs'

The taxi pulled out into a late monsoon downpour, its windscreenwipers feebly slapping at the sheet of water. With roadsideculverts overflowing, traffic slowed to a crawl and pedestrians,their sarongs and saris hitched up, took shelter where they could.

How different it was this time. We were in the heart of the city centre well within anhour courtesy of the brand new KatunayakeColombo !xpressway.

"t was all so #uick, so efficient " even found myself longing for a little of that wonderfulchaos that used to be an integral part of any trip to this part of the world. $ow youcould be anywhere or more precisely anywhere in booming !ast %sia.

 %nd that&s the whole point. "n its version of a peace dividend 'ri (anka&s government isdetermined to reconfigure this country.

The airport expressway is )ust one of the grand critics say grandiose infrastructuralpro)ects that are literally changing the landscape.

 %nd it&s not )ust restricted to the capital. *y all accounts the reconstruction andrehabilitation of the wartorn north and east of the country the predominantly Tamil

&ontin"e rea(ing the

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region is both extensive and impressive.

'o why isn&t the government of +ahinda a)apaksa and his three brothers winninguniversal praise at home and abroad-

Human rights activists say the rapid change is the product of a brooknooppositionauthoritarianism that is bad enough when it affects urban planning but is downrightdangerous now that it has infected virtually every aspect of statecraft.

The charge sheet is long and disturbing. rom the impeachment of the chief )ustice/the real or implicit threat to independent )ournalists/ the appropriation of land/ themilitary&s incursion into civilian life and the blindeye tolerance of attacks on +uslimsand evangelical Christians all of it has been noted by the 0$&s Human ightsCommissioner and several others.

The government response is to retreat into the language of conspiracy.

1ne official entirely straightfaced told me how the 'inhalese way of life was underthreat. This is a ma)ority community behaving as if it were a beleaguered minority,revelling in a perceived victimhood that fuels the excesses so many now fear.

Who would have thought this is the administration, this is the army that scored such adecisive and brutal victory over the terrorist Tamil Tigers )ust four short years ago-

" was born in 'ri (anka and my parents )oined the Tamil diaspora. *ut " am not here tomeet family and friends but to report on the Commonwealth Heads of 2overnment+eeting.

The event will be overshadowed by calls for the government to submit itself to anindependent and international in#uiry into allegations of war crimes committed at theend of the civil war.

0K 3rime +inister 4avid Cameron says he will do it privately/ many other will shout itout loud. %ll of it will come to nothing. 'ri (anka has enough friends around the worldto survive the onslaught.

 %nd that will serve only to reinforce the habit of impunity. Today the excesses gobeyond the old 'inhaleseTamil ethnic divide.

"t doesn&t matter what language you speak or how you worship your god. %ll thatmatters now is whether you are for the a)apaksa dynasty or not. %nd if you are not,you know what to expect.