19th March 2012, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has taken a lead in monitoring the levels of public awareness of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and the implementation of its recommendations. CPA has monitored the proceedings of LLRC and disseminated information to the public through its websites critically analysing shortcomings in the process.
We issued a comprehensive statement on the implementation of the recommendations of the LLRC, no sooner it was published, and advocated the implementation of its recommendations. Furthermore, CPA was the first institution in Sri Lanka to issue a translation of Chapter 9 (Recommendations) of the LLRC Report in Sinhala and Tamil in May 2012 and a report on the benchmarks for peace and reconciliation in post war Sri Lanka. We also successfully implemented a project promoting Citizen Dialogue on the LLRC, raising awareness of its recommendations and their importance for the process of conflict transformation in Sri Lanka.
One of the significant outcomes of this project was that both the original Commission report and the Action Plan for the Implementation of its recommendations were simplified and made available to more than one hundred and thirty thousand citizens, through publications, mail shot, electronic mail and dialogues held in Sinhala and Tamil at 1033 meetings, facilitated by 47 regional trainers island-wide.
Reports from the media conference held today sharing experiences from the island-wide discussions as well as the findings of the survey of witnesses who testified before the LLRC, are available for download (as PDFs) from the CPA website in English, Sinhalaand Tamil.
You can also read the reports online (in your browser) in English, Sinhala and Tamil.