by Yolanda Foster
- On 05182014 May 2009 will be always an exclamation Mark in Sri Lanka's History. Many will celebrate the defeat of the Tamil Tigers as a rupture with a brutal past. For others it will mark a period of remembrance as families mourn relatives lost in crossfire or shelling. It was a time of rumour, elation and pain. Supporters of the final offensive against the Tigers danced in the streets of Colombo while survivors emerged from the ruins of war carrying terrifying survival stories. TV footage in the country replayed the government's 'humanitarian rescue operation' to free civilians while children languished in Manik Farm forgotten from public view. Historians will make better sense of the year that ended Sri Lanka's bitter war against the Tamil Tigers. My own reflections here are grounded in my work with victims' families struggling for justice in Sri Lanka.
