Tamil Party wins local polls in Sri Lanka's north

[Shaitan]

Tamil party wins elections in Sri Lanka's ex-war zone


Sri Lanka's biggest Tamil party has won local elections in the island's former war zone in the north and east.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) took 18 out of 26 councils in what is being seen as a rare electoral setback for the government of President Rajapaksa.

His Sinhalese-dominated coalition won in all other areas being contested.

The TNA was in effect a proxy of the Tamil Tigers, who troops defeated in May 2009, but it now seeks greater devolution for Sri Lanka's provinces.

The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo says the results indicate that ethnic polarisation is still an issue in the country.

'Scare tactics'
Elections were held in a patchwork of councils around Sri Lanka, including the mainly Tamil north and the more ethnically mixed east.

The TNA - which projects itself as the main representative of the northern and eastern Tamils - has become more moderate since the end of the war and now accepts that Sri Lanka will remain united with no place for separatism.

But it wants more powers devolved than President Rajapaksa will agree to and the party's talks with him on political reforms have so far yielded nothing.

Outside the north and east every contested council was taken by the governing coalition.

The government lavished the north with ministers, money and posters during the campaign - it wanted to do well there to ward off international pressure on human rights, our correspondent says.

Civil society groups and Tamil politicians accused the government of using scare tactics and threats during the campaign.

The government denied it and the election commissioner said the actual voting day was largely peaceful.

BBC News - Tamil party wins elections in Sri Lanka's ex-war zone

Good for them.

 

[Tshering22]

^^ Congrats to all the Tamil people. Let's see how Sinhala chauvinists continue their tyranny.

 

[Oracle]

Good news. Shows the sensitivity Sinhalese have towards the Tamils in SL, and the ever reaching hand to bring back the Tamils into the mainstream.

 

[Godless-Kafir]

The wounds that both those moronic tribes have inflicted on each other will take a lot more time to heal!

 

[Tshering22]

Possibly due to the recent international pressures that have been bogging the Lankan government down. While most SL might not be that insane but Rajpakse kind are quite different.

 

[Oracle]

Possibly due to the recent international pressures that have been bogging the Lankan government down. While most SL might not be that insane but Rajpakse kind are quite different.

You are quite right. I had the honor of sharing a house with some Sinhalese guys. He hated the LTTE (but not ordinary Tamils of SL), and he was critical of the Government of SL too.

Mate, we need 2 hands to clap.

 

[KS]

Autonomy within the Lankan contitution is the way to go.

 

[KS]

Possibly due to the recent international pressures that have been bogging the Lankan government down. While most SL might not be that insane but Rajpakse kind are quite different.

Infact Rajapakse is the milder variety of the bigots. You have the much cruder ones like JVP, JHU whose brandy about their fanaticism under the banner of Lord Buddha, but infact sullying the path of non-violence he advocated.

 

[The Messiah]

Infact Rajapakse is the milder variety of the bigots. You have the much cruder ones like JVP, JHU whose brandy about their fanaticism under the banner of Lord Buddha, but infact sullying the path of non-violence he advocated.

Religious loonies often do that but that doesn't mean whole religion is evil. Remember it next time you go on a rhetoric spree and be consistent.

 

[maomao]

I have a gut felling that this so called set back to the Raja-Srilanka (Rajapakse ) is a hogwash to cover up his genocidal tendencies towards Tamils; moreover, this is to silence the west and other human rights bodies, who are demanding an independent probe into massacre of 40000-100000 Tamils in the last phase of the Elam War (this so called election win by Tamil stooges of Sinhalas is to showcase how (un) safe Tamils are in SL); while during the war the Tamil Civilian population was deliberately confined to narrow no-fire zone, and then bombed to hell by SLA and we know which all (con) parties were part of this mass genocide!!

 

[KS]

Religious loonies often do that but that doesn't mean whole religion is evil. Remember it next time you go on a rhetoric spree and be consistent.

When did I say that ? Don't put words in my mouth and dont act holier-than-thou.

 

[S.A.T.A]

The mounting international pressure discouraged Rajapakse from rigging the council elections.The Local council are toothless civic bodies and have no powers to seriously address issues that plague the Tamil people in their homeland.If Rajapakse is interested in resolving the ethnic crisis,there is no option other than implementing the provisions of the Indo-lankan accord of 1987,which envisages a Indian style federal setup where Tamil territories in north and east will be organized into federal state with maximum administrative and legislative autonomy.

Rajapakse will never be interested in implementing the 1987 accord unless India gets into the act,otherwise this brief interlude of peace, is just a lull before another major storm.

 

[KS]

The mounting international pressure discouraged Rajapakse from rigging the council elections.The Local council are toothless civic bodies and have no powers to seriously address issues that plague the Tamil people in their homeland.If Rajapakse is interested in resolving the ethnic crisis,there is no option other than implementing the provisions of the Indo-lankan accord of 1987,which envisages a Indian style federal setup where Tamil territories in north and east will be organized into federal state with maximum administrative and legislative autonomy.

Rajapakse will never be interested in implementing the 1987 accord unless India gets into the act,otherwise this brief interlude of peace, is just a lull before another major storm.

That will never happen under the chauvinist Rajapaksa as he draws support form over more fanatics like Jathika Hela Urumaya and Janatha Vimuthi Peramuna.

 

[S.A.T.A]

No Sinhalese leadership will not easily concede this ,considering they have eliminated the LTTE threat.However demise of LTTE can now work in India's and Tamils favor,India can now easily assume the role of representing the voice of the Tamils,with out having to worry about our past links with LTTE or appearing to be,atleast to the Sinhalese,in lieu of those past links, to be supportive of the Elam cause.

Indian must not allow the Sinhalese to do with TNA what the LTTE and the Sinhalese did to late Amrithalingam and TULF.Indian must actively pursue efforts to bring all the Tamil political parties including the TULF and TNA on a common platform and increase pressure on the Sinhalese leadership to concede on devolution of power.Jayawardene was no less chauvinist,inspite of JVP and the Buddhist clergy,he came and signed the 197 accord,only because India was willing to apply pressure.

P.S:congress led UPA,esp under the Gandhis will not have the same resolve to actively aide the Tamil cause,as Indira Gandhi did.Any change may have to wait for the BJP led NDA at helm in New Delhi.

 

[KS]

P.S:congress led UPA,esp under the Gandhis will not have the same resolve to actively aide the Tamil cause,as Indira Gandhi did.Any change may have to wait for the BJP led NDA at helm in New Delhi.

Agreed. For them this is a personal cause to fulfill their vendetta.