Sri Lanka's Council of Ministers Approves Establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Mechanism

Tags: International News

Sri Lanka's cabinet ministers approved a proposal to set up a Truth and Reconciliation Mechanism.

An Overview of the News

• The proposal draws inspiration from the successful Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa.

• In March, Sri Lanka's Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabri and Justice Wijedasa Rajapaksa visited South Africa to study the commission's functioning.

• The proposed mechanism aims to address issues surrounding the three-decade-long armed conflict in Sri Lanka.

• Former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe submitted a cabinet memorandum and concept paper in 2018 as the basis for the commission.

• There were efforts to set up a similar mechanism in 2015 under pressure from the United Nations human rights body, but it was not followed through.

• The establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Mechanism is seen as a way to address the demands of affected Tamils seeking information on missing persons.

• The proposed commission aims to provide answers, reconciliation and justice in the post-conflict context of Sri Lanka.

About Sri Lanka

• It is an island country in South Asia.

• It was earlier known as Ceylon.

• The official name of the country is the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

• It is located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal.

• Sri Lanka is separated from the Indian peninsula by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.

Capital - Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (legislative) and Colombo (executive and judicial)

Official languages - Sinhala AND Tamil

President - Ranil Wickremesinghe

Prime Minister - Dinesh Gunawardena