Sri Lanka is a republic with an active multiparty
system. The popularly elected president, reelected
in 1999 to a second 6-year term, and the 225-member
Parliament, elected in 2001 for a 6-year term, share
constitutional power. From 1983 until 2001, the Government
fought the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE),
a terrorist organization that advocated a separate
ethnic Tamil state in the north and east of the country.
In December 2001, the Government and the LTTE each
announced unilateral cease-fires, and a formal ceasefire
accord was signed in February 2002.
After participating in six rounds of talks facilitated
by the Norwegian government, the LTTE suspended the
negotiations in April, but both sides continued to
observe the ceasefire accord. As a result of the peace
process, there was a sharp reduction in roadblocks
and checkpoints around the country. Approximately
341,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) returned
to their points of origin in the north and east, and
authorities opened investigations into abuses by security
force personnel.
President Chandrika Kumaratunga, head of the People's
Alliance (PA) coalition, temporarily suspended Parliament
November 4. The President also dismissed the ministers
of defense, interior, and mass communications and
assumed those portfolios herself because of what the
President termed a "deterioration of the security
situation" during the course of the peace process.
Parliament reconvened November 19, and talks continued
at year's end between representatives of the Prime
Minister and the President over control of the three
ministries and the Prime Minister's role in the peace
process. The President reaffirmed her commitment to
the peace process, but peace negotiations remained
suspended at year's end.
The 2001 parliamentary election, which took place
prior to the ceasefire, was generally free and fair
but was marred by irregularities and resulted in at
least 50 deaths. The election gave a parliamentary
majority to the United National Front (UNF), a coalition
of parties led by the United National Party (UNP).
Stating during the election that it feared possible
infiltration by the LTTE, the Government prohibited
more than 40,000 Tamil voters living in LTTE-controlled
territories from crossing army checkpoints to vote.
During the year, the Supreme Court ruled that this
action violated the fundamental rights of these prospective
Tamil voters and cited and fined the Government for
preventing citizens from exercising their right to
vote. The Government generally respected constitutional
provisions for an independent judiciary.
The Ministry of Interior, which President Kumaratunga
renamed the Ministry of Internal Security on December
19, controls the 60,000-member police force, which
has been used for military operations against the
LTTE and is responsible for internal security in most
areas of the country. In the past, the police paramilitary
Special Task Force also engaged in military operations
against the LTTE. The Ministry of Defense controls
the 112,000-member Army, the 27,000-member Navy, and
the 20,000-member Air Force.
Home Guards, an armed force of more than 20,000 members
drawn from local communities and responsible to the
police, provide security for Muslim and Sinhalese
communities located near LTTE-controlled areas. The
civilian authorities maintained effective control
of the security forces. Some members of the security
forces committed serious human right abuses.
