For the first time in six years, Sri Lanka on Wednesday celebrated independence day with a military parade of tanks and other heavy weaponry. Despite a faltering two-year cease-fire with the island’s Tamil Tiger rebels, for whom the show of force might have been intended, President Chandrika Kumaratunga stressed the need for peace. “I know fully well that no one wants to resume this war,” she said after inspecting an honor guard. “But the absence of war is not peace. We are now faced with the challenge of realizing permanent peace.” Peace talks between the government and the rebels have been suspended since April because of disputes over how to share power in Tamil-majority areas in the north and east. A power struggle between Kumaratunga and her main political rival, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe over who should control the defense ministry, has further threatened the cease-fire. Full Story
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