September 6, 2002

As the war with the LTTE winds down, the Sri Lankan communists have threatened violence because they oppose the peace deal with the LTTE. While the war with the LTTE has killed some 60,000 since the 1970s, there have also been two communist uprisings. The one in 1971 left 20,000 dead, while another in 1987-90 killed 60,000. The communists have since disarmed and become politicians, but there is fear that some still have weapons and will use them.