03-28-2004, 08:02 AM
In Sri Lankan elections, marginalized Tamils hope to finally vote again
Associated Press, Sat March 27, 2004 19:35 EST . DILIP GANGULY - Associated Press Writer - THIRIYAI, Sri Lanka - (AP) Just before dusk settles over this remote village, three Tamil farmers sit on a fallen mango tree and do something they haven't done in 20 years they talk about how they will vote Friday. that controls a third of Sri Lanka - .
``It has taken us several days to realize that this (vote) is true and not a dream,'' said Ratnasingham Yoganathan, 53, a farmer who had to flee Thiriyai three times to escape battles.
During the conflict, tens of thousands of Sri Lankans couldn't vote, either because of Tiger-imposed election boycotts or because more than 1.6 million people were repeatedly displaced by the fighting.
Most of the voteless were among the country's 3.2 million Tamils, who are predominant in Sri Lanka - 's north and east, where most of the fighting raged. The rest of the country is dominated by the 14 million ethnic Sinhalese.
With a fragile peace agreement in place, though, many hope this vote, watched by 70 European Union election monitors, will be different.
There's no telling, however, how the outcome will affect the peace effort.
In February 2002, the rebels agreed to a Norwegian-brokered cease-fire, leading the way to peace talks. While they have dropped their long-standing demand to create a separate Tamil state, they now want Tamils to vote in one voice for wider autonomy.
But the government in Colombo has long been split between the president and the prime minister over how to handle the rebels. President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who narrowly escaped a Tiger assassination attempt a few years ago, is bitterly opposed to the way Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe negotiated the cease-fire.
Their feud led to Friday's election.
A stable government in Colombo could help resolve a war that has claimed 65,000 lives, many Sri Lankans believe. But victory for the president's party could put the emphasis back on seeking the military defeat of the Tigers rather than a negotiated settlement.
The Tigers are also divided. A powerful renegade leader has broken away with almost half the rebels' 15,000 fighters, spawning fears of combat between the two factions.
Another question is whether the Tigers, known for their intolerance of dissent, will coerce Tamils to back the Tamil National Alliance, an umbrella group of pro-Tiger parties.
No opinion polling has been done in Tamil areas, and there have been numerous reports of interference against parties outside the alliance. For instance, the reports speak of parties unable to get electricity for political gatherings or to arrange cars to broadcast political slogans.
In Tamil villages like Thiriyai, which fall outside Tiger control, polling booths can easily be set up.
But in Tiger-run areas, where they have long had their own de facto state, the national Election Commission is still trying to find ways to ensure free and fair voting.
Some 6,000 candidates from 24 political parties and 192 independent organizations are seeking seats in the 225-seat single-chamber Parliament.
In Thiriyai, once a prosperous village of 650 families, they're hoping desperately for peace.
Nearly the entire village has been destroyed by fighting and many have been forced repeatedly to flee. Between 1983 and 2002, about 500 villagers were killed. Some died in crossfire or mines, while others were murdered on suspicion of aiding the opposing side.
While Thiriyai isn't under Tiger control, the chaos has meant few of its villagers could vote in past elections.
Today, it takes about five hours to travel the 65 kilometers (40 miles) to the nearest town, on a road that hasn't been repaired in two decades. The village has no electricity, running water or health care.
But after the February 2002 cease-fire, people began returning. A hundred pupils have come back to the village school, which on Friday will serve as a polling station.
Thanx: Associated Press
Associated Press, Sat March 27, 2004 19:35 EST . DILIP GANGULY - Associated Press Writer - THIRIYAI, Sri Lanka - (AP) Just before dusk settles over this remote village, three Tamil farmers sit on a fallen mango tree and do something they haven't done in 20 years they talk about how they will vote Friday. that controls a third of Sri Lanka - .
``It has taken us several days to realize that this (vote) is true and not a dream,'' said Ratnasingham Yoganathan, 53, a farmer who had to flee Thiriyai three times to escape battles.
During the conflict, tens of thousands of Sri Lankans couldn't vote, either because of Tiger-imposed election boycotts or because more than 1.6 million people were repeatedly displaced by the fighting.
Most of the voteless were among the country's 3.2 million Tamils, who are predominant in Sri Lanka - 's north and east, where most of the fighting raged. The rest of the country is dominated by the 14 million ethnic Sinhalese.
With a fragile peace agreement in place, though, many hope this vote, watched by 70 European Union election monitors, will be different.
There's no telling, however, how the outcome will affect the peace effort.
In February 2002, the rebels agreed to a Norwegian-brokered cease-fire, leading the way to peace talks. While they have dropped their long-standing demand to create a separate Tamil state, they now want Tamils to vote in one voice for wider autonomy.
But the government in Colombo has long been split between the president and the prime minister over how to handle the rebels. President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who narrowly escaped a Tiger assassination attempt a few years ago, is bitterly opposed to the way Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe negotiated the cease-fire.
Their feud led to Friday's election.
A stable government in Colombo could help resolve a war that has claimed 65,000 lives, many Sri Lankans believe. But victory for the president's party could put the emphasis back on seeking the military defeat of the Tigers rather than a negotiated settlement.
The Tigers are also divided. A powerful renegade leader has broken away with almost half the rebels' 15,000 fighters, spawning fears of combat between the two factions.
Another question is whether the Tigers, known for their intolerance of dissent, will coerce Tamils to back the Tamil National Alliance, an umbrella group of pro-Tiger parties.
No opinion polling has been done in Tamil areas, and there have been numerous reports of interference against parties outside the alliance. For instance, the reports speak of parties unable to get electricity for political gatherings or to arrange cars to broadcast political slogans.
In Tamil villages like Thiriyai, which fall outside Tiger control, polling booths can easily be set up.
But in Tiger-run areas, where they have long had their own de facto state, the national Election Commission is still trying to find ways to ensure free and fair voting.
Some 6,000 candidates from 24 political parties and 192 independent organizations are seeking seats in the 225-seat single-chamber Parliament.
In Thiriyai, once a prosperous village of 650 families, they're hoping desperately for peace.
Nearly the entire village has been destroyed by fighting and many have been forced repeatedly to flee. Between 1983 and 2002, about 500 villagers were killed. Some died in crossfire or mines, while others were murdered on suspicion of aiding the opposing side.
While Thiriyai isn't under Tiger control, the chaos has meant few of its villagers could vote in past elections.
Today, it takes about five hours to travel the 65 kilometers (40 miles) to the nearest town, on a road that hasn't been repaired in two decades. The village has no electricity, running water or health care.
But after the February 2002 cease-fire, people began returning. A hundred pupils have come back to the village school, which on Friday will serve as a polling station.
Thanx: Associated Press
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