How Will the War End?
The LTTE’s attack on the Anuradhapura air base showed it could still strike, and the air raid that killed Thamil Selvan showed the air force could too. Ivan argues neither side can win outright soon, and that the government should use its strong position to present proposals for a political solution rather than treat the conflict as terrorism alone.
ඇනීටා, ප්රභාකරන් හා චන්ද්රිකා
Prompted by Anita Pratap’s book Island of Blood, Ivan recalls his own part in the 1994–95 peace efforts: prison talks with Tamil detainees after 1971, his view that Chandrika Kumaratunga used the peace issue for Tamil votes, his attempt to broker trust between her and Ranil Wickremesinghe, and a March 1995 Jaffna visit where he helped secure the release of fifteen police prisoners. He also recounts learning from Anton Balasingham of a secret message she sent Prabhakaran through Pratap, and the resumption of war in April 1995.