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STATEMENT FOR THESENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEESUBCOMMITTEE ON SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIAN AFFAIRSHEARING ON THE SITUATION IN SRI LANKAFEBRUARY 24, 2009Thank you for inviting me to speak on Sri Lanka today.Sri Lanka is at a turning point in its history, anddecisions taken now could determine whether the countrywill be able to put its troubled past behind and begin anew era of peace and prosperity. If Sri Lanka's leaders andpeople fail to take advantage of this opportunity, theyrisk a continuation of the violence that has long plaguedthe island.I served as the United States Ambassador to Sri Lankafrom mid-2003 until mid-2006, a time when a ceasefire wasin effect between the Government and the Liberation Tigersof Tamil Eelam (the LTTE), and Sri Lankans and theirfriends hoped for a political solution to the ethnicconflict. The U.S. and much of the international communitystrongly supported that peace process. Unfortunately, the
 
process collapsed, for a variety of reasons. The LTTEwithdrew from the political negotiations at an early pointand consistently violated the ceasefire. Sri Lanka'spolitical leaders were divided and seemed to spend moretime tearing each other down than seeking a way forward onpeace.It appears that the LTTE decided to return to war,perhaps hoping to gain ground and return to thenegotiations in a stronger position. That was a fatalmiscalculation. The LTTE manipulated the 2005 Sri LankanPresidential election to ensure the victory of PresidentRajapakse, then immediately after his victory began seriousviolations of the ceasefire agreement. After a period ofrestraint, the Government responded and ended theceasefire. Much to the surprise of most observers, theGovernment forces made significant progress and now appearabout to eliminate the LTTE as a conventional fightingforce--although the LTTE will certainly retain a capabilityto conduct guerrilla operations.
 
It is this situation which presents both anopportunity and a challenge. One short-term and two long-term issues must be addressed.In the short-term, as the fighting intensified and thearea held by the LTTE diminished, the toll on civilianstrapped between the two forces increased. Both the LTTE andthe Government have shown a callous disregard forcivilians. There is a desperate need for food and medicalcare. Both sides have fired into civilian areas. The LTTEhas forced children as young as 14 into its ranks, andfired upon civilians trying to cross into Government-controlled territory. Tamil civilians who managed to fleethe conflict area have been forced into camps by theGovernment.This situation must be dealt with on an emergencybasis. The Government has an obligation to protect its owncitizens. It must do better at preventing collateral damageto civilians in its military campaign, and ensure that foodand medical care reach them. Conditions in the camps areabysmal, and must be improved. After initial resistance,the Government is now allowing UN and other international
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