Federalism and Conflict Resolution in Sri Lanka
Edited by V.R. Raghavan and Volker Bauer

Published by Lancer Publishers & Distributors

ISBN.NO: 81 7062 235 2

The conflict in Sri Lanka has already consumed more than 70,000 lives, displaced 700 to 800 thousand people besides being the cause for billions of rupees worth of lost opportunities. It is of great concern to the whole world and directly affects the region in general and India in particular. Efforts over the period to resolve the politico-ethnic problem in Sri Lanka has not made much headway. It has been felt that the unitary system has not delivered. Even in the first half of the last century, the political setup in Sri Lanka had discussed federalism. However, it did not merit attention while framing the post-independence constitution. Federalism was not a preferred subject of discussion even in the recent past. It was an anathema to some, foreign to some others and allergic to many. The agreement reached in Oslo in December 2002 has brought back the subject of federalism to find a political solution. The concept and idea of federalism, therefore, felt worthwhile to discuss in detail. While there can be many permutations and combinations in a federal setup, unless ideas get discussed, a move forward does not take place. With this in view, the Centre for Security Analysis in collaboration with Hanns Seidel Foundation and Sri Lanka Foundation Institute organised a seminar at Colombo on Federalism and Conflict Resolution in Sri Lanka on 10 & 11 May 2005. The proceedings of the same are covered in this book.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword
Sisira Pinnawala

Introduction
V.R Raghavan

Special Remarks
Karl Fischer

Keynote Address
Dew Gunasekara

PART I - Concept of Federalism

Constitutional Law & Federalism: Indian Experience
S. Mohan

Federalism for Sri Lanka? Reconciling Many Solitudes
Jayadeva Uyangoda

PART II - Federalism and Governance

Sri Lanka: Are these the lines to think on for an Equitable Solution?
S. Muthiah

Transforming a Conflict Using and Economic Dividend: The Sri Lankan
Experience
Saman Kelegama

Sri Lanka's Peace Process: Donors as Peace Makers
S.D. Muni

Resources Sharing in a Federal Set Up
Shankar Acharya

Federalism and the Media: Some Realities and Some Stereotypes from Sri Lanka
V.S. Sambandan

PART III - Conflict Resolution

Federalism and Minorities
Desmond Fernando

Aspects of Federalism in the Sri Lankan Context
Shivaji Felix

Conflict Resolution in Sri Lanka: Insights from Northern Ireland
Sudha Ramachandran