Abstract:
Reconciliation is a difficult process that can help conflicting parties restore t
relationships. "Effective reconciliation is the best guarantee that the violence of the past
will not return." The end of the conflict raises tremendous expectations for peace a
reconciliation among the Sri Lankan people and the world community. There are several
research studies on war and post - war conditions in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan war has
produced a diverse range of war victims. With the military victory over the separatist
Tamil movement to win a homeland for them, the Sri Lankan Government has begun a
process of reconciliation through a package that emphasises infrastructure development
while attempting to enforce its memorialization project and deny the right of memory for
Tamil minorities, including Tamils from the North and East of Sri Lanka. The Eastern
Part's development package, known as "Negenahira Udanaya" (Reawaking East), has
placed an overemphasis on infrastructure development while ignoring how people
perceive those efforts and failing to appreciate the significance of memory in formi
perception. This ethnographic research aims to understand how perception influenc
reconciliation and what critical issues must be addressed in an effective reconciliation
process. The study was done in Karadiyanaru area in Batticaloa district in Sri Lanka
using the interview method. The collected data was analysed thematically. The study
concludes that unless the memory and perception components of the reconciliation
process are addressed, true reconciliation will remain a fantasy for Southern politicians.
