A good article appeared in the Wall Street Journal a few days ago, entitled "In Sri Lanka's Post-Tsunami Rise, China is Key." See past the anti-Chinese sentiment of pro-Western business WSJ, and you have a very good picture of what's happening with with Sri Lanka's economic development model. Which is, just build anything as fast as you can, wherever you can get it. If you have read Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine, the premise of the article won't surprise you: natural catastrophe is used as a pretext to remove unwanted peoples and make way for big-dollar development projects that may end up having little to no benefit to the people of Sri Lanka.
Many people I have talked to have spoken to me about China's investment in the country, some with appreciation, others with skepticism. China - alongside Israel, Russia and Pakistan, all countries with dark records of oppression of uprisings by minorities within their borders - supported Sri Lanka militarily and politically during the final months of the war against the LTTE, despite numerous credible and disturbing evidence of human rights atrocities that were being committed. (In March 2015, the UN will review a thorough report of Sri Lanka's actions. For a great report, check out Channel 4's documentary "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields"). Now, the newly paved highways that unite the country (or carve up, depending on your point of view), the airports that sit empty, the artificially-created harbors, all built with Chinese megafunds and in some cases Chinese prisoners, are testament to this relationship forged in blood and bombs. It's neoliberal development on speed.
And the politicians are raking in the profits. I can't verify the amounts, but people tell me that if a road costs, say, $20 million to build, government officials will claim it costs $40 million, take the loan (apparently Chinese loans comes with a relatively low interest rate), and tell the people that these megaprojects will somehow benefit them.
People in the Tamil-dominated North with whom I spoke echoed the sighs of relief of the Sinhala-dominated South that the war was over. They could move more freely. (For foreigners to go to Jaffna, you are required to get a clearance from the Defense Ministry. The reason: intelligence officials claim that some groups have attempted to "provoke public disturbance and conflicts among civilians in the North." Sri Lanka does not like reports critical of the public forces' actions.) Though people were happy that bombs were not raining down on them anymore, Tamils I spoke with said they felt that the army controlled everything, from schools to land purchases (I saw soldiers in Casuarina Beach in Jaffna constructing very fancy lodgings, which I assumed to be tourist hotels and not barracks. After capturing Marble Beach from the LTTE on the East coast, the army built and controls several resorts and hotels) to other civilian matters. Sinhala soldiers patrol Jaffna at night. When the train passed through the LTTE's former administrative capital of Kilinochi, I saw soldiers on practically every side-street. It may be simply pre-election posturing, but it definitely gave the feel of an occupation. Which will always breed resentment.
In a televised event in Mullaitivu, the LTTE's military capital and scene of the final and most dramatic battles in May 2009, the president asked Tamils to forget the past.
But along the highway to Jaffna and throughout the North the reminders of the war - and of who won it - persist. At Elephant Pass, the tiny stretch of land that separates Jaffna from the rest of the island, an LTTE tank is placed at the foot of a memorial to a young Sri Lankan army corporal who blew himself up in an attempt to stop the LTTE from bringing the explosives-laden vehicle onto a base in 1991. Now, it's a tourist stop for Sri Lankans eager to know a formerly unknown area of the country, with buses stopping and their occupants flooding the souvenir shop, run by the army. Signs denounce "terrorism" and unflinchingly praise the Sri Lankan Army.
In Batticloa, the tsunami-battered majority-Tamil city on the East coast, on December 19, President Rajapaksa held a very well attended electoral event, which was heavily covered by the press. That night, locals told me that rumor had it that villagers from the outskirts were bussed in for the event and paid 2,000 rupees - with locals being paid 500 rupees - a LOT of money in a country where an average teacher makes roughly 25,000 rupees a month, or about $190.
While all that money is been thrown around, at least 35,000 people became homeless in the past three days due to the heavy rains that flooded much of the Eastern and Northern parts of the country, which had been preceded by a severe drought between August and November that wiped out a many rice paddies' harvest. Though in the past few weeks, President Rajapaksa has suddenly lowered taxes on fuel, water and electricity, along with raises and some subsidized motorcycles for public servants, even the middle-class for some time has been complaining about the cost of food and living. Sri Lanka, like the rest of the "modern" world, is widening the gap between super rich and super poor.
The New York Times ran a piece two weeks ago about how foreigners are snapping up Sri Lanka's precious coastline real estate. Another nail in the coffin of the working poor.
We'll see how the elections go on January 8. Right now, there have been only a few incidents (that I know of) involving fighting between party militants on the street. The opposition candidate, Maithrpala Sirisena, is running on an anti-corruption platform and has pledged to do away with the executive powers that allow the president to be accountable to no one, but it sounds hollow to me. After all, Sirisena was the Sri Lankan Freedom Party's (Rajapaksa's political party) general secretary and a Minister of Health until last month. And now he is the opposition? Hmmm.
Sorry for this long piece. I'll catch you up on everything else later. Check out the pics here!
And big solidarity abrazos to the folks at DC Capital Bike Share who just voted to join the union!
Many people I have talked to have spoken to me about China's investment in the country, some with appreciation, others with skepticism. China - alongside Israel, Russia and Pakistan, all countries with dark records of oppression of uprisings by minorities within their borders - supported Sri Lanka militarily and politically during the final months of the war against the LTTE, despite numerous credible and disturbing evidence of human rights atrocities that were being committed. (In March 2015, the UN will review a thorough report of Sri Lanka's actions. For a great report, check out Channel 4's documentary "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields"). Now, the newly paved highways that unite the country (or carve up, depending on your point of view), the airports that sit empty, the artificially-created harbors, all built with Chinese megafunds and in some cases Chinese prisoners, are testament to this relationship forged in blood and bombs. It's neoliberal development on speed.
People in the Tamil-dominated North with whom I spoke echoed the sighs of relief of the Sinhala-dominated South that the war was over. They could move more freely. (For foreigners to go to Jaffna, you are required to get a clearance from the Defense Ministry. The reason: intelligence officials claim that some groups have attempted to "provoke public disturbance and conflicts among civilians in the North." Sri Lanka does not like reports critical of the public forces' actions.) Though people were happy that bombs were not raining down on them anymore, Tamils I spoke with said they felt that the army controlled everything, from schools to land purchases (I saw soldiers in Casuarina Beach in Jaffna constructing very fancy lodgings, which I assumed to be tourist hotels and not barracks. After capturing Marble Beach from the LTTE on the East coast, the army built and controls several resorts and hotels) to other civilian matters. Sinhala soldiers patrol Jaffna at night. When the train passed through the LTTE's former administrative capital of Kilinochi, I saw soldiers on practically every side-street. It may be simply pre-election posturing, but it definitely gave the feel of an occupation. Which will always breed resentment.
In a televised event in Mullaitivu, the LTTE's military capital and scene of the final and most dramatic battles in May 2009, the president asked Tamils to forget the past.
But along the highway to Jaffna and throughout the North the reminders of the war - and of who won it - persist. At Elephant Pass, the tiny stretch of land that separates Jaffna from the rest of the island, an LTTE tank is placed at the foot of a memorial to a young Sri Lankan army corporal who blew himself up in an attempt to stop the LTTE from bringing the explosives-laden vehicle onto a base in 1991. Now, it's a tourist stop for Sri Lankans eager to know a formerly unknown area of the country, with buses stopping and their occupants flooding the souvenir shop, run by the army. Signs denounce "terrorism" and unflinchingly praise the Sri Lankan Army.
In Batticloa, the tsunami-battered majority-Tamil city on the East coast, on December 19, President Rajapaksa held a very well attended electoral event, which was heavily covered by the press. That night, locals told me that rumor had it that villagers from the outskirts were bussed in for the event and paid 2,000 rupees - with locals being paid 500 rupees - a LOT of money in a country where an average teacher makes roughly 25,000 rupees a month, or about $190.
While all that money is been thrown around, at least 35,000 people became homeless in the past three days due to the heavy rains that flooded much of the Eastern and Northern parts of the country, which had been preceded by a severe drought between August and November that wiped out a many rice paddies' harvest. Though in the past few weeks, President Rajapaksa has suddenly lowered taxes on fuel, water and electricity, along with raises and some subsidized motorcycles for public servants, even the middle-class for some time has been complaining about the cost of food and living. Sri Lanka, like the rest of the "modern" world, is widening the gap between super rich and super poor.
The New York Times ran a piece two weeks ago about how foreigners are snapping up Sri Lanka's precious coastline real estate. Another nail in the coffin of the working poor.
Sorry for this long piece. I'll catch you up on everything else later. Check out the pics here!
And big solidarity abrazos to the folks at DC Capital Bike Share who just voted to join the union!
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