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Jaffna - this embattled city once was the citadel of Tamil learning and culture. The damaged and desolate buildings of this war ravaged city, now fortified with hundreds of military camps and thousands of men in camouflage fatigues, once were a reflection of the grandeur and genius of Tamil architecture. The story of the Jaffna farmer's continuous struggle with the burning sun, dry red soil and the famous Andi well has always been a tale of tears, and an object lesson to farmers of the south. Though the city is cursed by the war, it has a blessed soil, where whatever you grow will give the harvest, your hard labour deserves. At the heart of this city, once was a library, one of the best in Asia - but was turned to ashes by those who fuelled into the burning ethnic conflict at its initial stages. Jaffna peninsula has three main sectors: Vadamarachchi, Thenmadarachchi and Kodikamam. On the north most tip of the land is Kankesanturai Port which links the isolated city with the South. The land link is no more. Even under cursed circumstances, the Jaffna civilians still struggle for a better life with no electricity (power generators provides electricity only to the city limits) and less basic facilities. They cry only for one demand, it is peace - 'samadanam' -, nothing more. Contesting Parties Eelam People's Democratic Party, United National Party, United Socialist Party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, Tamil United Liberation Front, New Left Front, Democratic People's Liberation Front, Democratic Left Front, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, Sihala Urumaya, One Independent Group. Registered Voters Kayts - 51,072 Vaddukkoddai - 60,967 Kankesanturai - 64,119 Manipay - 64,262 Kopay - 61,334 Uduppidy - 53,941 Point Pedro - 43,087 Chavakachcheri - 54,779 Nallur - 67,057 Jaffna - 55,244 Kilinochchi - 57,595 Total registered - 633,457 Deproscription of LTTE for peace - V. Anandasangari [TULF] TULF Jaffna leader V. Anandasangari intends to appoint a commission to investigate the use of public money in Jaffna district during the past 12 months, soon after his election. The way the public funds were used in the North, is suspect he claims. The teacher - lawyer turned politician pledges to free the people in Kayts and Delft who he said are enslaved. They are now in the grip of political slavery. Promising especially to develop Thenmadarachchi, the badly affected by the war, he has plans to renovate the entire peninsula. Anandasangari who is also the Acting President of the TULF promises to take all necessary measures for the relocation of the internally displaced people of the district. Those people will be provided with government assistance in their relocation process, he says. He pledges to take action to address the food shortage, too. He will work to his best for the de-proscription of the LTTE and peace talks between the Government and the LTTE. He underlines the need for lifting embargoes on some essential items, and promises to work for it. Anandasangari advocates possible changes of the provincial administration. He calls this election the last chance for Jaffna people to rid unscrupulous politicians. Educated at Atchchuveli Christian College, Hartley College, Jaffna and Zahira College, Colombo, Anandasangari was elected MP in 1970. He was re-elected in 1977 and 2000. Honourable political settlement in hand - Douglas Devananda [EPDP] EPDP leader Douglas Devananda has a twofold agenda. He pledges to bring an honourable political settlement for the ethnic conflict and solve problems of the day -to- day life of Jaffna's citizenry. The militant turned politician promises to do his best to satisfy the aspirations of the Tamil people through a new constitution. According to Devananda such a political settlement will force the LTTE to abandon its military stance and join to the democratic mainstream. Claiming that he has done his best to ease the burning problems of the Tamil people in Jaffna during his tenure as a minister of the former government, he pledges to take further action to reduce the cost of living and shortage of fuel and cement and other essential items. Devananda claims that he was able to bring an end to the monopoly of cargo shipping to Jaffna, and thus reduce the cost of transport from 55 dollars per metric ton to 29 dollars. He plans not only to rehabilitate the city but also the ideas of the people; not only to ensure a normal life to the people but also fresh blood. He expects to negotiate with the LTTE through international participation on opening a land route to Jaffna. Such a move would vastly reduce transport costs, he says. Devananda pledges to continue development activities he had begun. Devananda was the military wing leader of the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), till he left the party over political differences in 1985. Having formed the EPDP he entered politics in 1989 after giving up armed struggle under the Indo - Sri Lanka Pact and joined hands with the security forces to strengthen the civil administration in the liberated islands in the North. He was elected MP in the 1994 General Election. Having been re- elected in 2000, he was appointed the Minister of Development, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation in the North. A better life for Jaffna civilians - T. Maheshvaran [UNP] A businessman turned politician T. Maheshvaran says the entire administrative system in Jaffna district has to be changed to free the Jaffna population from perpetual suffering. The closure of the land routes to the peninsula caused much inconvenience and he pledges to open all land routes in the peninsula to enable the transportation of essential goods on lower cost. The restricting the transportation of goods to shipping leaves the biggest burden on civilians, he claims. Maheshwaran claims that since Jaffna is a fully cleared area there is no need for Defence Ministry clearance for the Jaffna people to visit other areas to attend their needs. They are even deprived of attending a funeral of their relative on time, he says. Claiming that the hospitals in the peninsula lack even basic medicines he pledges that the hospitals in the peninsula will be upgraded by providing more facilities under UNP regime. He says that a proper program should be launched to provide employment for qualified youth in spite of providing jobs for political henchmen. Over 12,000 school leavers are still unemployed since 1995, he points out. The students are deprived of their basic requirements. Even Government workers have to wait for long time to receive their salaries, he says. Protesting against the deprivation of the employment of traditional toddy tapers in Jaffna he pledges to issue licences for them to continue their profession. Born on January 10, 1966 Maheshwaran had his education at Karainagar Kanishta Vidyalaya and St. John's College, Chundikuli Jaffna. General Election Results
- 10.10.2000
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Produced by Lake House |
