The ice cream man went to work with dread every day at Colombo's main rail station, a prime target for suicide bombers who once killed several teenage baseball players on a platform in front of his stand.

With the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, the vendor and many other Sri Lankans say they no longer live in terror of the next blast – a welcome change after more than two decades of suicide attacks by the rebels.

"People can travel freely, without fear," said Jayakodiarachcige Jayaweera, the ice cream man.

But security remains tight amid fears the rebels are not completely gone.

Political veterans caution that without a settlement for the minority Tamils, the respite may be brief. And Tamils fear the end of the rebellion may remove any incentive for the government to satisfy their grievances.

Jayaweera remains haunted by the sight and smell of the 15 victims killed when a suicide bomber blew herself up as she disembarked at the Fort station in February 2008. Nearly 100 others were wounded. Platform 3 was awash in gore and blood.

The teenaged baseball players had just returned from a weekend tournament in the city of Kandy. The nation was preparing to celebrate 60 years of independence from British rule and the city was tense after two recent bus bombings killed 32 people. The rebels appeared unstoppable, capable of striking at will in the national heartland.

"It was a horrible scene. You never forget that," Jayaweera said.

"You can't explain the fear," he said. "It's terrible."

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