There is now hope, however faint, of peace in Sri Lanka after almost two decades of bloody ethnic conflict between the majority Buddhist Sinhalas and the minority Tamils, who are fighting for a separate homeland in the northern and eastern parts of the small island.
Recently, citizens read positive signals in new Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's signing of a Norway-brokered peace agreement with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the most militant and vocal group.
At the very least, the pact may translate into a set of modalities to ensure a permanent ceasefire between Velupillai Prabhakaran's LTTE and the government. Both Wickremesinghe and the international community feel that this is the first and, perhaps, most important step toward helping the LTTE emerge from its forest hideouts to join the mainstream, democratic process.