On May 19th, 2009, the President of Sri Lanka declared a military victory of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, an insurgency group that had been fighting the Government for over 26 years, seeking an independent state on the island for its ethnic Tamil minority community.  In the aftermath of this defeat, those interested in securing a sustainable peace in the country are working to highlight and address the underlying factors that led to the outbreak to war, attend to reconciliation amidst communities recovering from decades of civil war, and address post-war reconstruction, relief, and security needs.  Please join us to hear from two prominent individuals from Sri Lanka's civil society who are working to secure a lasting peace in the country.

Jehan Perera is executive director of the National Peace Council, an independent peace organization based in Colombo, and a regular analyst of Sri Lankan conflict and peace dynamics in online and print media. 

Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu is executive director of the Center for Policy Alternatives, a think tank based in Colombo and dedicated to strengthening public input into governance and policy through research and analysis. 

Our two guests will speak about the current political and social context in Sri Lanka and the pathways to a sustainable peace and reconciliation.

Moderated by:

• Ambassador Teresita Schaffer
  The Center for Strategic and International Studies