Truth seeking and Reconciliation

A study of LLR commission Process in Sri Lanka

D.V M. S. AsiriHS/2006/11194Political Science special University Of Ruhuna

Research plan• Defining research problem• Review of related literature• Methodology• Research analyzing• Conclusion• Recommendations

Defining research problem

• After ending of the civil war in Sri Lanka, government was concerning to build sustainable peace through reconciliation in Sri Lanka.

• In this condition Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksha appointed a commission called Lesson Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) to report on the lessons to be learnt from the past.

• I concerned about reconciliation process that should be used in the aftermath of ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka to create sustainable peace and build relationship among ethnic groups.

• There for this analysis was constructed around the following research question

Further the research followed sub questions;

1. How does the LLRC process focus on truth seeking?2. What are the factors should have for reconciling Sri

Lankan society?3. What are the actions should be taken to build

relationships among the ethnicities?

Will the lessons learnt and reconciliation commission be able to reconcile ethnic communities in Sri Lanka through reconciliation as a mechanism for post war peace building?

Review of related literature

• Reconciliation• Truth and reconciliation commission• Sri Lanka conflict and peace

David Bloomfield. Teresa Barues and Luc Hugse : reconciliation after violent conflict: a hand book .

creating trust and understanding between conflicted parties is difficult challenge in post conflict peace building. As it is, the examination of violent past is more important for peace

John Paul Ledarach: Building peace: sustainable reconciliation in divided society.

suggest that modern peace building should focused on reconciliation , and on rebuilding relationships, a focus on reconciliation recognize that conflicts are essentially types of relationships

Reconciliation:

Truth and reconciliation commissionHugo Van Der Merwe and Andrey R ChapmenTruth and reconciliation in south Africa: the TRC deliver

providing an analysis of – victims with the point of assessing

the South African transitional justice,

– what survivors say about justice, – TRC approach to promoting

reconciliation in human right violation hearings,

– perspectives on the role of forgiveness in the human right violation hearings

Samaddar Ranabirpeace studies: an introduction to the concept , scope and themesto create reconciliation there must be attempts to forget past and healing themselves with all society together

Robert I Rothery creating peace in Sri Lanka civil war and reconciliation

analyses the conflict with – The ethnic and religious antagonism that fuel it– The political miscalculations that precipitated it– The mistrust which permeates both battling sides.

the way how to come all together and reveres the tragedies of recent past

Sri Lanka Conflict and Peace

Asoka Bandarage ‘the separatist conflict in Sri Lanka: terrorism, ethnicity, political economy’there must be mechanism to sustain peace through democratic process. “a democratic approach to conflict resolution requires a frame work in which the claims and concerns of all groups can be heard” (Bandarage, 2009:25)

Patha S Ghosh ethnicity versus nationalism: the devolution discourse in Sri Lanka’“The challenge for any democracy in a multiethnic society is to discover how to blend the two as harmoniously as possible” (Ghosh, 2003:26)

Malinga H GunarathneFor a sovereign statehe points out • how land issue became a problem of people whom

separated with ethnic identity and last transparence it in to a conflict

• having ruptured relationship between ethnic groups cause of land is inappropriate.

Methodology• “something very important when doing a social research is to

thoroughly describe what method is used to make it accessible for the readers and to be able to the process scientific” (Teorell & Svensson, 2007:54).

Research area

Problem

Literature

Context Questions

Theory

Research Design

Data collection

HypothesisData analysis

Data interpretation

Pre– empirical stage Empirical Stage

Source: (Punch, 1998:42)

Research design:

• mixed method approach“ in which the investigator collects and analyzes data , integrates the findings and draws inferences using both qualitative and quantitative approaches or method in a single study or a programme of inquiry” (taskkori&Creswell,2007:4).

Mixed method

Qualitative approach

Quantitative approach

Theoretical drive:

INDUCTIVE find answers to the question

a qualitative driven research followed by quantitative research

QUAL quan

Research sampling method:

• “Many of the research topic under studying in the social sciences are quite complex and require a combination of sampling techniques to adequately explore the phenomena of interest” (Kemper, Stringfield & teddlie, 2003:283).

To have sample of large population this paper will use characteristics of race, gender and place of residencerace, gender place of residence

mixed method sampling strategy

Probability sampling non-probability sampling

cluster sampling

First GA: north province- represents Tamil PopulationSecond GA: eastern province- represents Muslim populationThird GA: Sothern province- represents Sinhala population

2nd stage - small clusters within each selected big clusters

First GA: north province- Nullur and Wanni Second GA: eastern province- Kalmunai and MuturThird GA: Sothern province- Akuressa and Hambantota

Quota sampling

1st stage- to cluster a large number of geographical areas (GA) in Sri Lanka.

focus on characteristic of the population such as • ethnicity • gender to have small elements

• Tamil ethnicity in the area of GAN- Nallur and Wanni

• Sinhala ethnicity in the area of GAS-Akurassa and Hambantota

• Muslim ethnicity in the area of GAE- Kalmunai and Mutur.

Instruments to be usedexpecting to strength two approaches by combining and compensate for weaknesses of both of them.

mixed method data collecting strategy

questionnaires interviews• open ended • close ended

• interview guide

Data analyzing“Once data became available, the next phase of the mixed method research process is data analyzing” (Onwuegbuzie & Teddlie, 2003:351).

mixed method analysis

Qualitative data analysis Quantitative data analysis

SPSS analysis Contextual analysis

Research analyzing

• First step :was reduction of data as I use 180 samples for this research. Quantitative data was coded and categorized by using SPSS and qualitative data reduction was including coding, writing memos and making partitions• Second Step:data reduction stage was followed by data display stage

• Table• chart

Method Actor Codes

Interview Lawyers L1L2L3

Religious leader RL1RL2RL3

University students US1 – US 6Questionnaire Northern Province Nallur Female NNF1 – NNF15 Northern Province Nallur Male NNM1 – NNM15 Northern Province Wanni Female NWF1 – NWF15 Northern Province Wanni Male NWM1 – NWM15 Eastern Province Kalmunai Female EKF1 – EKF15

Eastern Province Kalmunai Male EKM1 – EKM15 Eastern Province Mutur Female EMF1 – EMF15 Eastern Province Mutur Male EMM1 – EMM15 Southern Province Akurassa Female SAF1 – SAF15

Southern Province Akurassa Male SKM1 – SKM15 Southern Province Hambantota Female SHF1 – SHF15

Southern Province Hambantota Male SHM1 – SHM15

Cording

• LLRC process as a truth seeking mechanism• Reconciliation

– Truth– Justice– Forgive and forget– Learn from the past

• Relationship building

Rese

arch

Data

ana

lyzin

g

1. LLRC process as truth seeking mechanism

• Many people argue that LLRC is not commenced and proceed well.

• They didn’t know about LLRC

27%

73%

12

Total Analysis

1

2

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

48

132

Total Analysis

Series1

the main problem was that the People of Sri Lanka doesn’t know what LLRC is and why it was established.

1

2

3

16

33

131

Series1

9%

18%

73%

1 2

3

People did not satisfied with LLRC process as a mechanism for truth seeking.

Reconciliation

• According to the research output, reconciliation can be seen as dealing with few specific concepts. – First reconciliation promotes an encounter between the

painful past and the sheared future by revealing truth. – Second reconciliation provides a place for justice where

redress wrong doing of past. – Third it will create space for forget and forgiving by healing

their wounds. – finally it will give opportunity to learn from past lessons as

it is necessary in Sri Lanka society to create relationship among ethnic communities.

People opinion was reconciliation is possible in Sri Lanka

93%

4% 3%

123

1

2

3

167

7

6

Series1

people think that reconciliation is important in Sri Lanka as the perspective of sustainable peace

98%

2%

12

1

2

176

4

Series1

Truth

to make understand about each other it is important to reveal the truth

1

2

3

147

1

32

Series1

82%

1%

18%

123

Justice

• People want justice and they want any kind of punishment for the people who violate their human rights and who did offend to them and their beloved ones.

1

2

3

119

58

3

Series1

66%

32%

2%

123

Forgive and forget

forgiveness is acceptable among people1

2

3

132

24

24

Series1

73%

13%

13%

123

1

2

45

135

Series1

25%

75%

12

people do not believe forgetting is easy

Learn from the past

• almost all of people are ready to learn from the past.

1

2

180

0

Series1

100%

1

Many people believe Sri Lanka conflict was emerging because of ruptured relationship among ethnic groups.

1

2

180

0

Series1

100%

1

Relationship building

• Sri Lanka community is looking forward to have sustainable peace

• People believe that in the present situation it is possible to build sustainable peace in Sri Lanka

89%

11%

12

1

2

161

19

Series1

82%

18%

12

1

2

147

33

Series1

Many people believe that every ethnic group should live together

Conclusion

• The people of Sri Lanka Don’t know about LLRC or Its process for truth seeking

• People of Sri Lanka afraid to reveal the truth although they want speak about past.

• LLRC haven’t understand the needs of victims such as security

• They haven’t go far to deal with the past or generate reconciliation in Sri Lanka.

Recommendations

• Sri Lanka have to distinguish a process that need for reconciliation at individual level

• Sri Lanka must have redeeming approach to address to the past violence and reveal the truth