Lanka mulls polls in eastern province

Colombo, June 27: The Sri Lankan government has decided to hold local authority elections in the eastern Batticaloa district, with the military claiming to be closing in on last stronghold of Tamil Tiger rebels.

The State-run Daily News quoting senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa today reported that elections would be held in the eastern province soon.

Mr Basil Rajapaksa, who is a younger brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, made these remarks at the opening of a new medical surgery complex at Akkaraipattu in the east yesterday.

When contacted, a Presidential spokesman confirmed that the government was seriously considering a local authorities election in the eastern province, but said the month and the date for the poll has not been decided.

The main idea of holding the poll was to establish grassroot democracy in the eastern region after liberating it completely from control of the Tamil Tiger rebels,the Presidential Spokesman said on condition of anonymity.

The Defence Ministry in a report said the military was fully committed to liberate Thoppigala, the last eastern bastion of the LTTE terrorists and were inching forward to remove hundreds of anti-personnel mines buried by fleeing terrorists.

Troops were currently closing in on the LTTE's Beiruit complex in Thoppigala. The Air Force in support of ground troops stepped up air combat support to the ongoing operations in the east, inflicting heavy damage to the Tigers, the Defence Ministry said in a report.

Meanwhile, the LTTE's political wing head, S P Thamilselvan have reportedly claimed in an interview with the pro-rebel Tamilnet website, which remained blocked in Sri Lanka for the past couple of weeks, that the LTTE chose military strategies to suit the place, environment and time,and that the army would soon find out ''the trap they had set for themselves''.

UNI