(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in Sri Lanka believe their country's civil conflict will eventually come to an end, according to the Gallup World Poll. 62 per cent of respondents think permanent peace between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will be achieved.

Since 1983, the island has been divided by an armed civil conflict. The Tamil Tigers have fought to establish an independent state for the Tamil minority, claiming discrimination by the Sinhalese majority. Sinhalese constitute roughly 75 per cent of Sri Lanka's 20 million inhabitants.

Norway has acted as a mediator during talks between the Tamil Tigers and the government of Sri Lanka. More than 65,000 people have died in the conflict.

Mahinda Rajapakse of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) won the November 2005 presidential election, with 50.29 per cent of the vote. On that same month, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake—who had served as prime minister from August 2000 to December 2001—became head of government for the second time. 83 per cent of respondents think the current administration is committed to finding peace through talks.

On Apr. 29, a female suicide bomber killed 10 people and wounded 30 others—including army chief Sarath Fonseka—in Colombo. The attack, which was blamed on the Tamil Tigers, is the most serious incident since the LLTE and the government entered into a truce in 2002.

Yesterday, foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera declared, "The international community must bring pressure on the LTTE by using all powers within them to get them back to the table. Something that hurts them the most is curtailing their fundraising activities."

Polling Data

Do you think that permanent peace between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE will ever be achieved?

In general, do you think that the government is committed to finding peace through talks?

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