Abstract:
Sri Lanka's violent conflict that tasted for more than three decades came
to end in May 2009 with the LTTE being militarily defeated by the armed forces of Sri
Lanka. Interestingly, the LTTE was defeated in the East of the country in July 2007
before the rebels were wiped out throughout the country. It is believed that although the
Eastern Province was liberated from the clutch of the LTTE by the armed forces in
2007, there are many unattended issues that need to be addressed in the present context
of Sri Lanka, especially in terms of resettlement and reintegration process. Aftermath of
war in Sri Lanka has resulted in mass-migration of IDPs back to their places of origin.
Therefore, this study mainly explores the challenges and prospects in the resettlement
and the reintegration of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in village call Koraveli in
the Batticaloa district, which is the central part of the Eastern Province. A specific
objective of this study is to assess the initiatives/ programs undertaken in the aftermath
of war in Sri Lanka to ensure the resettlement and re-integration of IDPs and to
interrogate the institutional and structural mechanisms being put in place to ensure
sustainable peace. Finally, this study aims at analyzing the challenges being faced by
stakeholders in the post-war resettlement and reconstruction of Eastern Sri Lanka. This
study combines qualitative and quantitative methods. However, it will be carried out
mainly through a qualitative field research by using both ethnographic and survey
methods. The data was collected through literature review, participant observation
method, focus group discussion and questionnaire survey. The study found that before
the end of 2007 IDPs were resettled in their own area by government of Sri Lanka with
the support of international Governments, UN, INGOs and NGOs when study area was
liberated. Despite the fact that resettlement was spearheaded by the abovementioned
organizations, plight of the resettled people still continues as the process has not been
successfully done and proper mechanisms have not been followed in terms of
resettlement and reintegration of ex-combatants and their families into the economic
and social process. Democratization process was also initiated; Local Government and
Provincial Council elections were held in year 2008 but these political bodies are
powerless to help people. Further, clashes among former rebels' groups are major
constraints on post-war peace building/resettlement and reintegration in the area.
