In that background, it is vital that the country is not pushed into “foreign-grown” solutions of international agencies and others, who unfortunately, sometimes appear to be influenced by certain human rights crusaders, who have been well- known terror activists in the past. It is also worthy to recall that, in its commitment to the principle of restorative justice following the conflict, the Sri Lankan government has already granted amnesty to more than 11,000  2  BIS central bankers’ speeches  former Tamil Tiger terrorists, some of whom have even committed grave crimes. In such circumstances, if the government were to open new investigations as proposed by some, it could turn the clock back and cause great anxiety to those offenders who have been forgiven, and may even lead to some of them reverting back to violence. At the same time, some of the proposed “foreign” interventions that seem to be narrowly focused on the conduct of the Sri Lankan armed forces only, could also be construed as unfair and/or selective treatment towards the Sri Lankan armed forces who defeated terrorism, and could lead to a consequent de-stabilization of the country. Practical wisdom would therefore suggest that reconciliation between communities must be allowed to follow a “home-grown” path in keeping with the time and space as set out by those who suffered the agony of terror, and those who are today responsible for maintaining the peace in the country.
Ajith Nivard Cabraal: Practical, not conventional, wisdom has driven Sri Lanka’s rebuilding and reconciliation Article by Mr Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, 3 April 2014. *  *  *  About five years ago, Sri Lanka faced three daunting economic challenges. To deal with those challenges, the Sri Lankan authorities implemented certain pragmatic strategies that challenged conventional wisdom. At the time of defeating terrorism in May 2009, a massive investment was required to restore normalcy in the terror-torn Northern Province. Conventional wisdom suggested that the rebuilding, rehabilitation and restoration should be carried out at a moderate pace, without burdening the economy unduly, and without placing government expenditure under stress. However, even at the risk of experiencing a spike in the fiscal deficit in the years 2009 and 2010, Sri Lanka executed a rapid action plan to de-mine land, re-settle IDPs, and upgrade infrastructure in the war-affected areas. That investment brought quick relief to the hundreds of thousands of people who had suffered during the 30 year war. The cost? A staggering $ 3.2 billion over 4 years, or nearly 6% of GDP! The direct benefit? Rapid clearance of over a million landmines from the Northern Province: speedy resettlement of nearly 300,000 IDPs; early restoration of the infrastructure: considerable progress in agriculture, fisheries and SME activity: significant increase in industrial production and domestic tourism: major transformation in the financial sector; and creation of new entrepreneurs and job opportunities; The overall outcome?