Sri Lanka effectively assassinated the possibility of peace in Sri Lanka with the crude assassination of the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the designated and internationally interacted head peace negotiator, Brigadier. S.P. Thamilselvan, almost in the closing part of the year 2007 can be considered as a decisive moment for peace in Sri Lanka and the dawn of the new year 2008 can be considered decisive year for war too in Sri Lanka.

Thousands of Tamil people including journalists, religious leaders, aid workers, academics, women and children are being abducted, tortured, disappeared and unlawfully killed almost daily in the North and East of Sri Lanka while the 2002 internationally monitored and Norway inspired ceasefire is still valid and in place merely on paper in 2007.

At least 500,000 Tamil civilians are internally displaced and languishing in temporary shelters without proper or no access to food, medicine and basic essentials due to the ongoing military operations in the North.

The raging civil war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government Security Forces (SF) will intensify to a magnitude the country has never seen or experienced before as both warring parties have amassed vast amount of destructive and dangerous arms and ammunitions in the forward defense lines in the north in Vanni, the De Facto state.  These are the real prospects for the all sections of civil society in Sri Lanka for year 2008 whether they be Sinhalese, Tamils or Muslims.

In addition, Sri Lankan media freedom and the freedom of expression will be further restricted with the heavy handed approach by the government, the country’s debt will grow, inflation will skyrocket further.  In addition, one of the country’s biggest foreign exchange earners, the tourism industry will do miserably.  The country’s standing with the international community as far as human rights in the country is concerned will surely further strain to the level that forces intervention from the international community.  The government aligned paramilitary forces in some parts of the country, especially in the East will continue to be the playground of the unruly TMVP like paramilitary groups, field workers of local and international human rights and humanitarian organizations in particular will suffer the brunt of physical attacks, including outright murder and torture with total impunity.

The simple message for the year 2008 from the Rajapaksa government is:  war will be further intensified to keep the real issues (given below) of the vast majority of peoples attentions away and keep the Southern support base alive and very much with him.

The country’s skyrocketing high inflation of 24%, rising commodities prices, repeatedly rising fuel price, share prices falling sharply, the high interest rates, wide range of corruptions in the government, mismanagement of the public funds of the government, the escalation of the violence, and dangerously destructive war, these are the real prospects stored for the citizens of Sri Lanka in 2008.