The two Sri Lankas

Thursday 13th March 2014

• Strongly opposing views north and south of the island about human rights, the US draft resolution and the prospect of international intervention tells a damning story about how deep ethnic and ideological divisions run in Sri Lanka five years after the war ended 

Five years after the end of a brutal war, the north and south of Sri Lanka have vastly different heroes.
On a humid November day last year, throngs of men, women and children flocked to the dusty grounds of the Nallur Temple in Jaffna. At the appointed time, they moved near the Duraiyappah Stadium, a place where VVIP helicopters typically land. Placards, photographs and black armbands come out, as the crowd stands single file on the road opposite the famous sports ground.

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                                                                                         The Two Sri Lankas by Thavam Ratna