Sri Lankans Demonstrate for Peace

Hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans took to the streets and joined hands Wednesday in demonstrations to urge their government to start peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels.

It was the largest display ever by Sri Lankans of all ethnic groups for an end to the separatist war launched by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam 18 years ago. The rebels say Sri Lanka’s 3.2 million Tamils need a homeland to prosper away from domination by the Sinhalese, who make up 14 million of the country’s 18.6 million people.

There was no immediate comment from the government, which has said it is willing to hold peace talks, although past negotiations have made no progress. Norway has been trying to broker a peace accord.

As clocks struck 11:55 a.m., office workers streamed onto the streets of Colombo, the capital. Shopkeepers pulled down their shutters to join the crowd. Children lined up in front of their schools.

Similar protests were held elsewhere, including the northern city of Jaffna, which has borne the brunt of the fighting.

The 15-minute peace demonstrations ended with participants raising their hands to urge the government to start negotiations to end the war, which has left more than 64,000 people dead and 1.6 million displaced.

The call for the demonstrations came from a group of businessmen, who named their initiative “Sri Lanka First--It’s Now or Never.”

Sri Lanka’s economy has suffered greatly from the fighting. Investors are wary since a July 24 rebel attack on the country’s only international airport and an adjacent air base. Increasing power cuts have also hurt business as a drought has spread.

Hundreds of nationalists demonstrated against the peace rally in Colombo and demanded that the government redouble its efforts to crush the rebels.

The slogan-shouting nationalists marched to the U.S. Embassy “to offer Washington support in the battle against terrorism” in the aftermath of last week’s attacks in the U.S.