Trincomalee, North East Sri Lanka, February 2006. A war zone. One year after the tsunami’s own trauma from the deeps failed the parties to the conflict stop the war, another outbreak of peacemaking begins. The power brokers gather at Geneva, the Government of Sri Lanka and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), [...]

Sarvodaya, as part of its continuing action programme for peace in Sri Lanka held yet another important landmark event in Trincomallee (in the Eastern Province) from 16th – 19th February 2006.

Trincomallee, a district which has a mixed population of Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims has been one of the worse affected areas during the 20 year armed conflict. Eventhough the ceasefire agreement of 2002 brought an end to the direct hostilities between the Sri Lankan armed forces and the LTTE and the guns and bombs were silent, other forms of violence persisted, particularly in the Eastern Province, which consists of Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara districts. This multi-ethnic and multi-religious area of Sri Lanka has remained the victim of deep-seated communal tension.

The first part of the Sarvodaya peace event in Trincomallee was a youth camp titled “compassionate youth gathering”. Over 650 youth and peace activists from all parts of Sri Lanka participated in this 3 day peace event held at the Sarvodaya District Centre premises in Trincomallee.

The Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement will host the first part of the “2006 Mobile Workshop for Capacity-Building of Literacy Resource Centers for Girls and Women (LRCs) in Asia and the Pacific,” which is scheduled to be held from 2nd to 9th February. Organized by the Asia/Pacific Cultural Center for UNESCO (ACCU), the workshop is divided into [...]