Sri Lanka - Light at the end of the tunnel? The Sunday, March 3, 2002, issue of the “New York Times” featured an article by Barbara Crossette, “War on Terror Moves a Country Toward Peace.” . The second sentence of this article said: "A week ago, the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, one of the most ruthless and totalitarian rebel movements in Asia, agreed to a firm ceasefire, with the promise of peace talks. to come."[1] But do the LTTE intend to keep their promises this time? Is Sri Lanka's 20-year struggle finally coming to an end? Is there a light at end of the tunnel? The history of the conflict stretches back to the colonial era, when Sri Lanka was an official colony of Britain. Even then, “politics were already divided along rigid ethnic lines. …”[2] Sri Lanka is populated by two ethnic groups, the Tamils ​​and the Sinhalese The Tamils ​​make up only 15% of the total population of Sri Lanka But, according to Stuart Bell of the National Post, the Sinhalese still feel. as a "minority within a larger region"[3], due to Sri Lanka's geographical position, just 30 kilometers from the Indian coast of Tamil Nadu. Another factor to consider is that Sri Lanka. is the only place in the world where Sinhalese culture exists. There is no doubt that the Sinhalese feel even more threatened because of this. Other differences that add fuel to the fire between the two groups are: language (Tamil versus Sinhalese); religion (mainly Hindu versus Buddhist); interpretations of history; claims of moral superiority; the question of the original inhibition of the island. The government took the path of an extremely pro-Sinhalese mood, after coming to power in February...... middle of paper ......n the influx of arms. The LTTE also lost legitimacy among its supporters. Second, the country itself also appears to have become extremely tired of constant human and economic sacrifice. It seems that both sides can't take it anymore and are more than willing to compromise. And thirdly, the growing global climate of non-tolerance itself, as mentioned earlier, plays a significant role in the taming of tigers this time. As “The Hindu” states: “…the post-9/11 world may prove increasingly difficult, even for groups that fight their battles over defined geographic territory in remote corners of the globe, like the LTTE , to use terror as a strategy. »[19]I think the combination of these three factors could be the right combination to finally end a 20-year war in Sri Lanka. And the country will see the light.