May 18 – The Sri Lankan army, navy and air force have secured the entire Sri Lankan coastline since the first outbreak of civil war with the Tamil Tigers began. With the rebels forces now just numbering a few thousand, and with reports that Tamil leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran along with other senior commanders appear to have committed suicide, the way is paved for a comprehensive victory over the rebels and the opportunity for national peace for the first time since the early 1980s.

The pro-Tamil website Tamilnet has also confirmed the three-decade-war is over, while heavily criticizing the international community for not coming to their assistance. The military battle may be won, however a political struggle may yet ignite in its place. The Tamils have long felt displaced, both from the Indian province of Tamil Nadu, and their adopted homeland, the northwest coast of Sri Lanka. Whether or not the community can pull itself together after the apparent suicide of its military leaders is another matter; now is certainly the time for political discussions to take place with whatever remnants of the organization remain intact and amenable to talks with Sri Lanka and India.

The ancient city of Jaffna, the Adam’s Bridge group of islands, as well as the islands within the Palk Strait are set, after a period of clean up, to be re-energized into what could become an international oil and gas processing terminal and major Asian harbor. Part of the motivation for the cleanup of the Tamil civil war is the understanding that significant oil deposits may lay off the Northern coast of Sri Lanka, however getting to them requires obvious removal of insurgents.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected on a popular vote of “no Tamil autonomy” and he has certainly delivered on that score. Sri Lankans have been out in force over the past two days celebrating the victory after the President announced the death of the Tamil leader, and a formal end to hostilities and the war is expected to be announced tomorrow.