Tamil Party Wins Elections in Former War-zone Regions

By Jasper Fakkert
July 24, 2011

Sri Lanka’s largest Tamil party Saturday won a majority of seats in regions torn by decades of civil war.

The local elections were the first in the country since government forces defeated Tamil Tiger separatists in armed conflict in 2009.

The Tamil National Alliance won with two-thirds of the vote coming away with 18 out of 26 seats in the north and east of the country.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s United People’s Freedom Alliance won all other contested districts in Saturday’s elections, BBC reported.

Tamil politicians and civil society groups had accused the government of using threats and scare tactics ahead of the elections, according to the report.

The United Nations reported that both government forces and the Tigers committed war crimes during the three-decade-long conflict.

According to the U.N., there are credible allegations that the Sri Lankan government killed many civilians in widespread shelling, which hit hospitals and other humanitarian facilities. The rebels are accused of using civilians as human shields and killing civilians indiscriminately, as well as recruiting child soldiers, according to the report.

Source: The Epoch Times.
Link: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/tamil-party-wins-elections-in-former-war-zone-regions-59482.html.