calm things down before they got out of hand.
The truce with the LTTE rebels is three years old. There has still been no agreement that will settle more than a decade of separatist warfare. During the truce, a civil war broke out within the LTTE, with Tamils from eastern Sri Lanka wanting more autonomy from the Tamils from northern Sri Lanka (who have long led the rebel movement). In the last few months, the fighting between the rebel factions has left over 200 dead, with many of the casualties being prominent LTTE politicians. The LTTE leadership blames the government for backing the rebel LTTE faction, and for playing politics with the distribution of relief aid in LTTE controlled areas where the December tidal wave damage was the heaviest. The problem is that many Tamils are tired of years of fighting, and the fanatical leadership of the LTTE leaders. This fanaticism has led to more suicide bombings by LTTE "Black Tigers" than any Islamic terrorist organization. The LTTE also continue to recruit teenage kids, much to the distress of many parents. Everyone is becoming