No Kosovo

It should have not caused surprise that the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo on 17 February 2008, coupled with its swift recognition by several influential Western countries, generated considerable concern within Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's was subsequently among the first governments to take an international stance on Kosovo, with a public denunciation of the declaration. Colombo officials said that the example of Kosovo could set an 'unmanageable' precedent in the current world order, potentially posing a 'grave threat' to international peace and security. Against this backdrop, gaining both military and political control over the east of the island – albeit with the help of former LTTE members – became the front line of the government's strategy to ensure that Sri Lanka will not follow in the footsteps of Kosovo.

And, indeed, on 10 March, the Sri Lankan government notched up a significant victory in its war against militancy, with the successful conduct of local-government elections in the eastern Batticaloa District. Parts of the district had been under LTTE administration for well over a decade. During the ceasefire period between 2002 and 2005 (after which the war resumed), the LTTE had been able to establish courts under its own laws, much to the chagrin of those who saw the peace process as dangerously legitimising rebel governance in the north and east of the country. But in April 2006, with the Ceasefire Agreement in tatters, the Colombo government launched a major military offensive that eliminated the LTTE's formal presence from the east – including, by July 2007, its strongholds in Batticaloa.