Sri Lanka war near end, ethnic tension remains

Ravi Nessman (AP)

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – The Sri Lankan government is poised to crush the Tamil Tiger rebels and end a quarter-century civil war that has killed tens of thousands. But it still faces a major challenge beyond the battlefield: resolving the ethnic conflict that fueled the uprising.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has consistently expressed support for a deal to give the ethnic Tamil minority on this South Asian island nation more say in a government long dominated by the Sinhalese majority.

"The sowing of discord belongs to the past. The future belongs to those who sow the seeds of unity," he said in a speech [2/04/09] marking Independence Day.

Critics welcome the words, but they say little has actually been done to reconcile the ethnic groups. More>>