Sri Lanka president-elect wants peace talks
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-19 00:44

From the campaign's outset, Rajapakse promised peace but pledged to take a tough line on the rebels, saying he would never allow the establishment of an autonomous Tamil homeland in the northeast or share $2 billion in tsunami aid with the insurgents. He has said the tsunami relief effort should be run by the government.

The Dec. 26 tsunami killed at least 31,000 people in Sri Lanka and swept away the homes or livelihoods of 1 million others. The Tigers want to run relief efforts in their territory and have repeatedly demanded access to some of the promised tsunami aid.

The Tigers took up arms in 1983 over discrimination against Tamils by the predominantly Buddhist Sinhalese majority. Nearly 65,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

The 2002 cease-fire ended major fighting, but peace talks stalled in disagreement over the Tigers' demands for broad autonomy, and clashes — especially between the Tigers and a breakaway faction — have intensified.

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