CRUCIAL POLL TO DECIDE TAMILS FUTURE, SAYS TAMIL LEADERS

BY P.VIJIAN

COLOMBO, Jan 26 (Bernama) -- Sri Lanka's ongoing sixth presidential election
could decide the fate of the nearly two million Tamil people in Sri Lanka after
the ethnic civil war ended last May, Tamil leaders say.

Former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) easten leader turned
government politician Vinayakamoorthy Muralidaran alias Colonel Karuna described
the election as important.

"This is an important election and we need to elect the right president to
help the Tamils resolve the long standing problems in this country. Tamils are
now free to vote and there is no LTTE pressure," he told Bernama.

Observers said that with the defeat of the LTTE, the Tamils had remained and
lived in the island nation, where 74 percent of the population are Singhalese,
without a strong political voice.

They said that the war might have ended, but the root cause of the conflict
spanning for nearly 30 years, is yet to be addressed by President Mahinda
Rajapaksa's administration and that political reforms and reconciliation had
yet to take place.

The pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which now backs former army
chief Sarath Fonseka, who is contesting against Rajapaksa, believes the only way
to resolve the long-standing Tamils plight is to support the United National
Party (UNP). Fonseka is contesting on UNP ticket.

"We are seeing more Tamils coming to vote since morning. Tamils understand
that this is the only election which can change the presidential leadership and
a new Singhala leader Foneska can bring a new future for the Tamils," TNA
secretary-general S Senathirajah said.

The Tamils, largely in the north, had been demanding a separate
homeland, spearheaded by the brutal LTTE, but the 30 years of violent conflict
failed to bring any political solution for their social-economic sufferings.

They now have to depend on peaceful political dialogue to achieve their
demands.

"We need a democratic leader who can address our problem democratically. The
Tamils are aware of this now and today's election is the only way," said
Karuna, the former LTTE chief's Velupillai Prabhakaran's bodyguard, but
presently National and Reconciliation Minister in Rajapaksa's administration.
-- BERNAMA