Sri Lankan government to try to ride civil war victory to re-election
Riding a huge wave of popularity after defeating the insurgent Tamil Tigers this year, Sri Lanka's government has called early elections. From the BBC:
The Tamil minority will probably not be happy waiting that long to have their greivances addressed, especially with over 200K Tamils still in refugee camps that are likely to flood with the coming monsoon season. If the government waits too long could they kick off another Tamil insurgency? It's a danger they might be running. And after a thirty year war, it's probably something they should be concerned about.
The new season of Vanguard features a report by Mariana van Zeller on Sri Lanka's fight against the Tigers: "Sri Lanka: Notes from a War on Terror". She looks at what it took for the Sinhalese majority to finally stamp out an incredibly resilient insurgency - and what counter-insurgency campaigns the world over can learn from their efforts (and what not to do).
Mariana's first report in the new season airs tomorrow night on Current at 10pm ET and again at 10pm PT. It's called The Oxycontin Express and deals with prescription drug abuse in the US. You can also catch her on Dr. Phil today talking about what she learned on that story.
Related posts:
- Sri Lanka’s refugee camps face dangerous mosoon season - Current News Blog
- Sri Lanka's Civil War - The group on Current News
- Demise of the Tamil Tigers? Perhaps, but an Appreciation - Current News
Mr Rajapaksa, who is hugely popular among the Sinhalese majority, is likely to score a clear victory.
The opposition is weak and the president is hoping for a two-thirds majority which would enable him to change the constitution, possibly making provision for more than two successive presidential terms.
He has said that he will wait until after the vote to introduce political reforms aimed, for instance, at addressing Tamil grievances.
The Tamil minority will probably not be happy waiting that long to have their greivances addressed, especially with over 200K Tamils still in refugee camps that are likely to flood with the coming monsoon season. If the government waits too long could they kick off another Tamil insurgency? It's a danger they might be running. And after a thirty year war, it's probably something they should be concerned about.
The new season of Vanguard features a report by Mariana van Zeller on Sri Lanka's fight against the Tigers: "Sri Lanka: Notes from a War on Terror". She looks at what it took for the Sinhalese majority to finally stamp out an incredibly resilient insurgency - and what counter-insurgency campaigns the world over can learn from their efforts (and what not to do).
Mariana's first report in the new season airs tomorrow night on Current at 10pm ET and again at 10pm PT. It's called The Oxycontin Express and deals with prescription drug abuse in the US. You can also catch her on Dr. Phil today talking about what she learned on that story.
Related posts:
- Sri Lanka’s refugee camps face dangerous mosoon season - Current News Blog
- Sri Lanka's Civil War - The group on Current News
- Demise of the Tamil Tigers? Perhaps, but an Appreciation - Current News
