kumar lopez is a tamil who works for the sri lanka press institute. we sit down for lunch at a local rice and curry joint. >> anthony: so last time i was here was nine years ago. things have changed a lot? >> kumar: i think, yes, i think the fact that we are able to eat today without even thinking that there could be a bomb that could go off at any moment, it is certainly a bigger peace that you couldn't expect before. but i believe that peace can go to another stage, another level. in the mindset of those who have been impacted by the war, i think there needs to be further work to be done. >> anthony: after world war ii, the british left sri lanka. over time, the buddhist sinhalese majority both excluded and repressed the mostly hindu tamil minority, channeling populist fervor to turn discrimination into law. >> anthony: what is the generally accepted underlying reasons for the conflict in the first place? >> kumar: the main cause, or the main objective was to have a separate land for the tamils.