On the issue of reconciliation, I think there has also been a number of problematic aspects. Although the government has claimed that the LLRC is tasked with both addressing accountability and reconciliation efforts, we haven't seen talks move very far with some of the groups, particularly in the north.
I know that some of the political groups have expressed frustration in dealing with the government because of the centralization of power in Colombo. I think this is certainly something that Canada should look at--to what extent there has been a devolution of power to the north--in order to ensure that people are really able to participate in their local government and decision-making.
What we continue to see in the north is a very high military presence. Where once you had the presence of the LTTE that was monitoring and surveilling people's movements, now it's the presence of the army. Again, this is quite problematic.
If there's going to be any kind of genuine effort at reconciliation, then there also needs to be a movement away from such a high military power in the north. We are particularly concerned about this because there has been a number of reports of abuses by the security forces in the north continuing.
The whole area of reconciliation is not something where Human Rights Watch has so much expertise. Our expertise is really in the documentation and moving forward in addressing human rights abuses and ensuring that there's accountability.