By Jehan Perera-December 9, 2013,
There has been speculation that the government will soon be setting up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) on the lines of the one made famous by South Africa after its transition from apartheid to democratic governance. Government sources have disclosed that the possibility of South African assistance to Sri Lanka was discussed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and South African President Jacob Zuma on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting last month in Colombo. This bilateral meeting was preceded by several visits to South Africa by members of the Sri Lankan government and opposition. There was also a major South Africa- Sri Lanka joint conference on reconciliation that took place just prior to CHOGM in which South African experts on participated. President Rajapaksa’s visit to South Africa to attend the funeral of the iconic peacemaker Nelson Mandela will provide yet another opportunity for possible collaboration to be discussed.