The Rajpal Abeynayake Column

The Rajpal Abeynayake Column By Rajpal Abeynayake

Looking from outside in: peace, the romance and reality
GENEVA COPENHAGEN: Anton Balasingham addressed the Tamil diaspora recently in Geneva. The diaspora was feeling cold maybe, and so was Balasingham, but he and the diaspora had a synergy that could not be disturbed by the cold.

Balasingham said that there have been Sri Lankan army long range reconnaissance men who had infiltrated the Wanni. ( The news of this claim was reported first and exclusively by The Sunday Times political editor a few weeks back.) But though one section of the Sri Lankan army seemed to be determined to scuttle the talks, the LTTE, he said will be astute and will not play into their hands.

The owner of a Tamil restaurant in Berne seemed to be in agreement. In Switzerland, the government seems to be cosying upto the Sri Lankan peace concept. But the Tamil diaspora here feel that they are in a limbo. They don't seem to be knowing whether they are coming or going, or staying put. This may be particularly so in Switzerland - even though in Denmark which has a Sri Lankan refugee population of around 10,000, it is a different story.

Switzerland has a Sri Lankan population of around 35,000. If the current 'process' results in a lasting peace, it means that refugees will have to think of entertaining the possibility of going back. So says the Federal Authority for refugees.

This then is a life in limbo, and it is not just with a sense of fielty that they are listening to Balasingham. Going back is not something that is so easy for people who have come here for reasons of persecution, but now have compelling economic consideration to think about.

Sometimes, it appears that all is forgiven. Yes, the Tamil community was one which caused headaches for the Swiss government and of course many governments in Europe. But, the Swiss federal refugee officials are of the opinion that the 'Sri Lankans are well behaved?' So does that mean that they qualify for a reprieve, meaning that they will be able to make their stay permanent even if peace arrives?

Not really. Earlier, the refugees used to be the only reason some Western countries were interested in the Sri Lankan conflict. This situation seems to have changed, with Norway playing the role of mediator in the peace initiative. With Japan leveraging a good deal of authority with regard to the peace moves also, it appears that more countries seem to think for one reason or the other that the Sri Lankan peace initiative is a landmark development in international realpolitik, which therefore calls for their involvement.

The Swiss government is a case in point. It is felt in Geneva and Berne and in locations elsewhere in Switzerland, that the Swiss can contribute not just by way of showcasing their cantonal system, but also by making even more involved contributions such as hosting at least one round of talks.

I met a refugee in Denmark. He tells me that he wants to go home, and he swears by it. He is taking his wife and kids home too, and talks to me while walking to a ticket office to make his booking. In Copenhagen, he has permanent residency status, and you could say that he has been there for donkey's years. That does not mean that everybody is yellng to go home once there is even a semblance of hope for a lasting peace. He is perhaps not a typical case, but the fact is that there are men like him too who want to go back and make it good in their 'homeland'. There is no double entendre intended there with the word homeland.

In Denmark there is a 'ghettoisation' of Tamil refugees. Most of them live in an exclusive area. The Swiss Federal authorities tell us that there is no 'ghettoisation' in Swiss cities. But, when I visit the Swiss information Website which is the most informative website containing Swiss news, there is a prominent news item which says that the Swiss police has new information that the LTTE and one more similar organisation are using loopholes in the Swiss system to raise funds and engage in dubious or illegal pursuits.

'Most Swiss people meet Sri Lankan refugees and think they are the most industrious and the most peaceful people on earth - but 'that's not true' the federal refugee officer deadpans. The Swiss see the peace through an intellectual prism, and they are determined to make a contribution to the Sri Lankan peace effort. But, on a practical level, the Sri Lankan situation sems to have its fallout that the Swiss are still learning to deal with, and part of this fallout is the problem of dealing with refugees. But, the Swiss say that at least no 'ghettoisation' of the refugee population as it is in Denmark, and that there is 'integration' instead of a high order. This is for those who have stayed there long enough to 'integrate.' Others are going to get used to the idea that peace means a return to Sri Lanka, and to say the least there are ambivalent feelings about that.

But, times are changing. A Swiss Foreign Ministry official who specializes in Sri Lankan affairs - Mr Marcus is his name - knows the minutae of the Sri Lankan conflict, from everything about the blowing up of Chinese boat, to the fact that the Monitoring Mission is only comprised of Scandinavians. Over a beer, in one of those swanky Swiss restaurants that is as far removed from Mullathivu as Ankara is removed form Washington, he tells me and others that maybe the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission should be expanded (broadbanded?) to take on board men from countries other than Scandinavian. 'The more countries the merrier' says a Sri Lankan journalist who voices the view that internationalizing the conflict is the best way of 'neutralising it' and making it less intractable. Even neutral countries such as Switzerland , he says, are welcome.......and can apply.

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