Sri Lanka to probe anti-Tamil riots

Witnesses of the riots may not be found

By Frances Harrison in Colombo

The Sri Lankan Government says it is going to appoint a presidential commission of inquiry into the anti-Tamil riots in 1983 - a crucial turning point in the country's history.

Minister for Ethnic Affairs, Athauda Seneviratne, said the details of the inquiry were still being discussed, including whether or not the commission would be headed by a Tamil judge, but he expected the matter to be finalised in a matter of weeks.

He said the idea is to look at who was behind the 1983 riots and offer compensation to the victims.

The Minister of Justice, Batty Weerakoon, who is also involved in the discussions, said the idea was to examine the root causes of the riots and prevent another occurrence of ethnic violence.

Lack of witnesses

If this commission is formed it would be the first to look into the 1983 anti Tamil riots - which marked the beginning of the country's long-running civil war.

The war has continued for 17 years

Two decades later, it is still unclear how many people died in the week long riots - with estimates varying from 500 to 10,000.

Many eyewitnesses have died in the intervening period or have fled as refugees abroad, and it is unlikely they would feel safe enough to return to Sri Lanka and testify - even if the government was ready to invite them back and allow them to speak in public about their traumatic experiences at the hands of Sinhalese mobs.

A commission of inquiry would also have trouble in assessing the huge damage to property caused by the riots now that all the burned-out buildings have been repaired.

The 1983 riots also saw an unprecedented breakdown in law enforcement - but it is not clear if the terms of reference of the commission would include prosecuting current or retired members of the security forces for their lack of action.

Motives questioned

But apart from the problems investigating something that took place so long ago, questions have been raised about the government's motives in launching an inquiry now.

Wooing opposition parties?

Some human rights activists say it has more to do with wooing the Tamil opposition parties in advance of a possible no-confidence vote in parliament and less to do with redressing past injustices.

They complain that previous commissions of inquiry have generally been attempts to cover up official complicity in human rights abuses rather than discover the truth.

But with an issue as emotive as the 1983 riots it would be risky to attempt a cover-up - hence many human rights observers believe the commission may never happen despite government assurances that it is going ahead.