The rebels say they will accept regional autonomy instead of independence for the Tamils. But Sri Lankan nationalists would rather go back to war than allow either Tamil autonomy or independence. The rebels have not demobilized, and many in the government fear that the rebels are training new troops and preparing for a new war. Meanwhile, the rebels admitted that they lost 17,211 fighters between 1982 and 2001. The government is trying to scrounge up money to take care of 800,000 refugees from the long civil war.
