On Thursday, 4 October 2018 the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS); held lecture on “Sri Lanka's Experience in Counter-Insurgency and Peace Process”. Distinguished academics, military experts, civil society members and media representatives, ambassadors and diplomats were attended the event. The purpose of this programmme was review of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka’s experience in the fight against insurgency and advancing the peace process.
H.E. Gagan Bulathsinghala, was the speaker of the event. He appreciated AISS for holding this speech program and he expressed that our country had been fighting more than twenty years against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). This group violated several peace accords broken mediated by different int’l actors such as Norway. Sri Lanka adopted a comprehensive grant strategy against LTTE and focused on a people oriented goal to defeat this group.
He added that, Sri Lankan Government isolated LTTE at diplomatic level. 32 countries banned LTTE. Offshore sources of LTTE was blocked, which impacted the finance of terrorism.
The treatment of combatants is important. Sri Lanka set out center for rehabilitation of ex-combatants. Those to fought against state but are citizens of state. Attention to children of the ex-combatants is also important, post conflict reconstruction should focus on economic activities to improve livelihood of PPL and Ex-Combatants should be provided jobs by government so that their confidence should be re-established. Sri Lanka is a multiethnic country. Hence, it is important to consider all perspectives in reintegration and reconciliation processes. He concluded that combination of three forces: Army, Air Force and Navy changed the course of war in favor of government in Sri Lankan war. The lecture ended with the Q&A session.