There is a great measure of hypocrisy in the actions and talk between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers, and successive governments of Sri Lanka.
It is one thing to proclaim that all that is desired is peace, but quite another to launch attacks on innocent civilians or, in the case of the government, upon Tamil strongholds.
Both actions are incompatible and likely to only result in an escalation of internal strife, death and injury. The war between the government and Tigers has been going on for well over 30 years and still seems no nearer to a conclusion.
The Tigers, who are mainly financed and supported by Tamils living abroad, claim they are not prepared to concede to any of the government's demands, believing that to do so would destroy the sacrifice of those who have died in the civil strife.
Yet the government, which has a responsibility for the whole nation - and that includes Tamils on the island - is equally firm that it has no wish to split the country by allowing the north and east of the island to become a separate state.
It has, however, conceded in the past that it is prepared to allow a certain measure of autonomy for the Tigers, although this was received with less enthusiasm from the majority Sinhalese population.
While the government of President Mahinda Rajapakse has promised victory against the Tigers soon, it seems the military has made no major incursion upon the territory held by the LTTE.
Yet it is as difficult to determine who is winning and who is losing as it is to know the total number of deaths on each side. But with all the fighting, it must be conceded that one day, both sides will need to sit down and talk peace together.
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