The amendment, which came out of a peace accord signed with India, established provincial councils to assume some of the central government's role, Rajapaksa told local television, the Defense Ministry said on its Web site yesterday. The council didn't function in the Tamil-speaking northeastern province because of the conflict there and was suspended in 1990, he said.

Peace isn't possible with Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, because ``he will not agree to anything,'' Rajapaksa said.

The Tamil Tigers, designated a terrorist group by the U.S., the European Union and India, have been fighting for a separate homeland in a conflict that has left more than 70,000 people dead. The government this month withdrew from a 2002 cease-fire accord and is targeting LTTE leaders, including killing the group's military intelligence chief on Jan. 6. More... Discuss this story Published: Mon Jan 14 23:52:34 EST 2008

Mr. Akashi is in Sri Lanka to study developments following the government’s decision to abrogate the Cease Fire Agreement with the LTTE and to apprise Colombo of the Japanese government’s stance vis-À-vis the latest developments.

According to official sources, Mr. Akashi expressed Japan’s satisfaction at the efforts made by Mr. Rajapaksa to reach a consensus on arriving at a negotiated solution to the ethnic question.

On the occasion of Pongal, Mr. Rajapaksa greeted the Tamils in the nation and expressed the hope that peace and greater trust would prevail in the coming year. More... Discuss this story Published: Mon Jan 14 21:18:23 EST 2008

But many people are sceptical of the claims that the small bombs sans the usual steel balls are the works of the Tigers. If not Tigers, who could it be? So we continue to build conspiracy theories, not knowing who the suspect is. The war has made most of us cynics. It is not unusual in a country which boasts of a literacy rate of over 95 per cent.

Apart from the LTTE, there are counter-insurgency units, intelligence outfits and various paramilitary groups. There are also criminal gangs with politicians as their patrons. In such a milieu, we look for clues to make our deductions.

When the war resumed in December 2005 amidst a shaky truce, police discovered claymore mines in various locations in Colombo. The first discovery was greeted with accolades, but when more claymore bombs were discovered in the city, questions emerged as to why the LTTE, an organisation known for its ruthlessness, masterly planning and precision, should place bombs in such a way to be discovered by police. One classic example was when security forces on December 3 found a bomb outside a Tamil MP’s official residence in a Colombo high security zone protected by barricade after barricade. When the bomb was discovered, not many people believed the official line. More... Discuss this story Published: Mon Jan 14 23:58:15 EST 2008