War over, fear still stalks polls in north Sri Lanka

By Shihar Aneez

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka | Thu Jul 21, 2011 11:00pm IST

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's northern cities hold local polls for the first time in many years on Saturday and though the civil war is over, fear and intimidation remain rife, poll monitors and opposition politicians say.
Voters in the separatist Tamil Tigers' self-declared capital of Kilinochchi, and in Mullaittivu where they were defeated by government forces in May 2009, will elect local councillors for the first time in 29 years.
The northern Jaffna district, under military control in the latter half of the 26-year civil war, will be holding its first local government election in 12 years.
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It is time to start building a bridge from New Delhi to Colombo

Bidanda Chengappa | Friday, July 22, 2011
The visit of the Indian troika to Sri Lanka comprising the national security adviser, foreign secretary and defence secretary to Colombo recently suggests that there is more to conceal than reveal in India-Sri Lanka relations.
Considering Colombo chose not to organise a press conference after the high powered Indian delegation’s visit only indicates such a reality.India-Sri Lanka relations have reached a new low in 2011.
The trust deficit between New Delhi and Colombo has widened considerably. There has been no major positive development in bilateral relations since May 2009 which witnessed a military solution to the LTTE’s three decade old civil war.        Full Story>>>

A Tamil woman collects water from a well on which political posters had been pasted ahead of local government election in Killinochchi July 21, 2011. Elections will be held in the North on Saturday.

Credit: Reuters/Dinuka Liyanawatte

A Tamil woman collects water from a well on which political posters had been pasted ahead of local government election in Killinochchi July 21, 2011. Elections will be held in the North on Saturday.

Credit: Reuters/Dinuka Liyanawatte