Survey finds support for peace process, expanded military action

COLOMBO: The latest Peace Confidence Index (PCI) survey conducted by the Centre for Policy Alternatives, has shown that a majority of those polled has stated that "peace can be achieved through peace talks".

Many Sinhalese agree that the Government is fully capable of finding peace through talks and the majority of Tamils in the Up-country agree that the LTTE is willing to achieve peace through talks, the PCI Report for November 2006 said.

The PCI is the polling unit of the Centre for Policy Alternatives said that many of those polled had also agreed that the Government should expand its military action including `even to all out war' to weaken the LTTE.

Many Sinhalese also believe that the CFA has not benefitted the ordinary citizens of the country and the 'CFA does not stand any more'.

The majority of those who have taken part in the survey believe that India's involvement in Sri Lanka's peace process will have a positive impact.

While 55 per cent of the Sinhalese community believe that the Government has done enough to protect human rights, the majority of them is of the view that it is the responsibility of the Government to protect human rights.

Pradeep Peiris, the Head of the Social Indicator said the November, 2006 report captures the public mood within a disturbing period in Sri Lanka in which the erosion of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) and its corollaries, the peace process and fundamental rights, was evident in the light of the dramatic escalation of violence, killings, abductions, disappearances and the emergence of humanitarian crisis.

"Because of this negative context, this particular wave of the PCI, only covers the Sinhala, Muslim and the Up-country Tamils in the areas outside of North and East.

"We do not present national estimates.

But we strongly feel the PCI report can help policy makers and the general public better understand the current situation in Sri Lanka", Peiris said in the Report.

According to the survey although a majority trust that peace could be achieved though dialogue, support for a military solution is also gaining ground with the passage of time.

"A quarter of the Sinhala community extend support for a military solution," the Report said.