Sri Lanka military says kills 49 rebels, bombs north

[oberliner]

Source: Reuters

COLOMBO, April 7 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka air force jets bombed rebel positions in the far north on Monday while troops killed 49 Tamil Tiger rebels in fresh fighting, the military said.

The air raids on the black Tiger or suicide-cadre training base, in rebel-held Kilinochchi in the north of the country, came a day after a suspected rebel suicide bomber killed the highways minister and 13 others attending a marathon race near the capital on Sunday.

The air force also attacked a rebel bunker line in the northern Jaffna peninsula.

The Sri Lankan government has asked high-profile targets who face threats from the Tigers, and the general public, to be vigilant against more attacks due to rebel defeats in northern battle fronts.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSCOL234941

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Anyone who is following this conflict, please share whatever inights you might have.

[David__77]

1. So what do people think about the Sinhala/Tamil conflict?

It's interesting. There are language and cultural differences, but does that mean that there is a right to national self-determination that would mean the partitioning of the country? What criteria should be applied to determine whether a secessionist fight is worthy or unworthy of support?

[Igel]

3. I think the same about this conflict as I do about the

desire for Indians in Malaysia to have more representation and rights.

There are areas--granted, small ones--with Indian majorities in Malaysia. Do they have the right to self-determination? I think not.

Sri Lanka has two groups of Tamils: One has been there for quite a while. The other is recent, the result of laborers brought in under the British. It's primarily the latter that's causing the difficulty--just as in Malaysia.

In K. Mitrovica, I favor re-annexation by Serbia, if the locals have a vote that way.

It's different from the Romania/Slovakia Hungarian problem. Most of the Hungarians have been where they are for quite a while, but nonetheless there I favor no right to self-determination, simply because of the way that Hungary's dealt with its minorities in the last century.

[4dsc]

2. Dirty war going on here

Many civilians, especially Tamil, are being assissinated on a daily basis around the country..