The camera pans across a host of hands thrust through a gate and focuses on a young girl. The deep sadness etched in her face shows the despair felt by thousands of Tamil civilians caught up in the tail end of the 30-year war fought between the government of Sri Lanka armed forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Filmed by United Nations staffer, Benjamin Dix, it showcases the anguish of civilians who congregated outside the UN compound in Northern Sri Lanka as UN officers left the area following a communiqué stating the Sri Lankan government could not guarantee their safety as its forces advanced into LTTE-held land.

While Sri Lanka's presidential election victor, Mahinda Rajapakse, was awarded a doctorate for his efforts towards world peace by the Peoples' Friendship University, of Moscow on Feb. 5, his defeated political rival, retired General Sarath Fonseka, was unceremoniously arrested by the military police in Colombo on Feb. 8.

Fonseka, detained in a navy facility, is being accused of violating the Military Act while being army commander, and is expected to face a court martial. On the morning of his arrest, Fonseka told a media conference that he was unafraid to reveal evidence of alleged war crimes that took place early in 2009, when government forces militarily crushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Deeply divided Sri Lankan citizens go to the polls on Jan. 26 to vote in a president in its first major post-war electoral exercise.

Ironically Sri Lankan voters are now divided not between the majority Sinhala community and the minority Tamils who fought for a separate state. The top contenders to the post of executive president, from nearly 20 candidates, are the incumbent, Mahinda Rajapakse and his one-time army commander and Chief of Defence Staff, General Sarath Fonseka both Sinhalese.

Jubilation over the military defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the death of its leader, Vellupillai Prabhakaran, has gripped a majority of Sri Lankans both in that country and around the world.

Most of Sri Lanka celebrated the news of the defeat of the LTTE following three bloody decades, with lighting of firecrackers and sharing of “kiribath” (milk rice) which is traditionally prepared  on all joyous occasions. 

Fate of civilians lost in the celebrations

On more than one occasion in Sri Lanka's long drawn out ethnic conflict, government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) - commonly known as the Tigers - have been locked in a stand-off. And civilians living in the area have been caught in the crossfire and used as the "sand bags" with which the Tigers barricade themselves.

Tigers in a corner, civilians feel the squeeze

The tourist industry in Sri Lanka is upbeat these days. The December 26tsunami seems to have provided it the opportunity of introducing long-heldplans of resort zones and marketing the tiny island nation to upscaletourists. In the pipeline are marinas, helipads, seaplane landing strips and $300-a-night chalets.

In the aftermath of the tsunami, citing safety measures, the governmentannounced plans to move coastal area residents farther inland.

If the declared purpose of successive Sri Lankan governments has been to ensure the unity of the island nation, then recent events seem to aim at achieving just the opposite.

On Sunday, September 21, ethnic minority Tamils hailing from the north and east of the country and living in the South Western region were required to register themselves with the police. The ruling this time was specific to those who had lived in the South during a five year period or less and was described by police as a census of Tamils living in the western region.

The message is simple. Report on matters perceived as national security and you will be considered an enemy of the state.

That's the warning on the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry website, in an article entitled, "Deriding the war heroes for a living - the ugly face of 'Defence Analysts' in Sri Lanka," posted in early June.