In addition to the national identity card a number of other documents could be used for proving identification.

Driving licences, passports, farmer identification cards and certified photographs are among the other identification documents.

Election monitors PAFERAL had previously gone to courts saying that identity cards should be made compulsory for voting.

Speaking to Sandeshaya PAFERAL chief Kingsly Rodrigo said that the election commissioner had taken a step in the correct direction. More...

Discuss this story Published: Sat Mar 18 13:36:54 EST 2006

Then came the outrage by prominent local Tamils, denying such accusations.

Yesterday came the denial of the denials by a new advocacy group called the Canadian Democratic League, an organization that says it has roughly 100 members and wants to speak out against the Tamil Tigers, as the LTTE is known.

The Canadian Democratic League says the LTTE does not speak for all Tamils and they're tired of being silenced in their support for a peaceful means for Tamil independence.

The Human Rights Watch report "is accurate, and its findings resonate with the ground realities of Tamils in Toronto, whose fundamental rights of free expression and association are daily suppressed through the intimidation, violence, and climate of fear instigated by the LTTE and its front organizations," the group stated in a press release yesterday. More... Discuss this story Published: Sat Mar 18 21:25:51 EST 2006

Addressing his troops in the northern town of Vavuniya Friday, Commander of the Sri Lankan Army Sarath Fonseka said that the army's policy was the same as that of the government. 'The problems of the Tamils must be solved through peaceful means,' military sources quoted him as saying on Saturday.

'We support the peace process to see if we can achieve peace through negotiations and (it is) not due to any fear of the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam),' Fonseka told his troops. More... Discuss this story Published: Sat Mar 18 14:45:10 EST 2006