Militarisation, Criminality, and Civilian Safety in the NE

வடக்கு-கிழக்கில் இராணுவமயமாக்கல், குற்றச்செயல்கள் மற்றும் பொதுமக்களின் பாதுகாப்பு

This dossier documents how post-conflict militarisation in Sri Lanka's North-East created a 'crimilegal order' where state presence, security forces, and criminal economies, particularly drug trafficking and gangs, co-exist and enable each other. It establishes that the erosion of civilian safety is a structural consequence of this militarised environment, rather than an isolated social pathology.

This dossier compiles evidence demonstrating a direct causal link between the enduring militarisation of Sri Lanka's North-East post-2009 and the emergence of a 'crimilegal order' that undermines civilian safety. It draws on comparative political science to frame this as a structural outcome of 'victor's peace' rather than a cultural failing, with UN, academic, and governmental sources confirming the presence and nature of both militarisation and rising criminality. The dossier matters because it reframes issues often presented as separate problems (e.g., drug abuse, gang violence, military land retention) as interconnected elements of a single, structurally embedded system. It provides an evidence-based counter-narrative to explanations that pathologize Tamil communities, using official Sri Lankan and UN data to anchor claims about drug proliferation and its geographic concentration. The strongest citations establish that militarisation, including the reorganisation of civilian space and military-civilian role overlap, preceded and then concentrated gang activity and the drug economy in the region (Staniland 2014, Political Geography 2014, PEARL). The National Dangerous Drugs Control Board's own statistics, alongside UNODC data, corroborate the documented increase in drug trafficking and addiction, particularly heroin, within the North-East. Open questions include the specific mechanisms of intelligence services' involvement in protecting or enabling criminal networks, and the full extent of military personnel's direct or indirect economic interests within these shadow economies. The dossier leverages international accountability mechanisms like FATF for potential future engagement without relying on speculative accusations.

Citations