Sri Lanka: 60 Years of “Independence” and beyond is a collection of articles exploring the complex issues that underpin Sri Lanka’s history since its “independence” in 1948  a period dominated by conflict between the Sinhalese and the Tamil people of the island.

This book is the latest (December 2009) publication by the Switzerland based Centre for Just Peace and Democracy (CJPD) and is edited by Ana Pararajasingham, CJPD’s Programmes Director.

The book comprises 26 papers covering 11 topics examined from different perspectives. Contributors include Tamils, Sinhalese and others from the wider international community. This is because conflicts, particularly those that are underpinned by nationalism and the vestiges of colonialism are best comprehended when diverse views are presented.

This book provides a comprehensive and up to date account of the island’s “post independence” era by authors who, over many years, have written widely on the subject.

In his Foreword, Justice John Dowd AO QC, Vice President of the International Commission of Jurists and Chancellor of Southern Cross University in New South Wales, Australia describes  the book as a “very careful and painstaking analysis of the legal, constitutional, religious, sociological and ethnic problems that comprise modern Sri Lanka” and recommends “it is essential reading for those who want to understand the conflict”.  

In his review of the book Bruce Haigh, Former Australian Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka had this to say:   “This book is long overdue. It should have been published twenty years ago. Now that it is published it should be required reading by politicians, diplomats, journalists and academics. The contributors to this study by and large provide a perspective on Sri Lanka which can no longer be ignored. The tragedy, which underlines the need for this book to be read by policy and opinion makers and educators, is that some people who might have contributed became too frightened”