Sri Lanka emerging from the darkness of war

The Sri Lankan government makes no secret of the fact that it will monitor the activities of former combatants and active supporters of the LTTE to guard against any attempts to resurrect the military conflict.

There are concerns that the nature of this surveillance is too severe and is impacting on the ability of some people to obtain employment and to travel freely.

Ultimately it will come down to the slow rebuilding of mutual trust and respect, which will not be an easy or rapid process.

It is hard to imagine that anyone would want a return to the conflict and horrific loss of life that occurred over the 30 years of war.

It is essential that former LTTE members and supporters integrate back into society.

The issue of a political settlement may take years to achieve with the Tamil community seeking greater independence and local governance.

Again, for this to occur there must be a rebuilding of trust between the minority Tamils who make up about 8 per cent of the population and the majority Sinhalese with 74 per cent.

The relationship has been shattered by the long years of conflict and will take many years to rebuild across the board.

While Sri Lanka faces the difficult challenge of achieving full reconciliation, there are encouraging early signs as the entrepreneurial Tamil people particularly in the northern region again become participants in the national economy.

An estimated 6000Tamils have returned from refuge in India in a vote of confidence in the future of Sri Lanka.

Like people the world over, Sri Lankans want to live in peace and security.

Australia must encourage and support that aspiration.