Publication

This paper analyzes the causes behind the failure of Sri Lanka’s counterterrorism laws in defeating the armed rebellion of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The author finds that the LTTE was able to deploy the counterterrorism legislation to its advantage, enhancing its legitimacy in the Tamil community and simultaneously undermining the authority of the central government in Colombo. The study concludes that counterterrorism legislation should not repress citizen rights or discriminate against communities in order to work effectively.