Daily Times

JAFFNA – Theroad blocks and military checkpoints are gone, and the restrictions on foreign tourists and journalists visiting the area have been lifted.

But the mostly Tamil residents of Sri Lanka’s northern Jaffna peninsula say much more still needs to be done to heal the wounds of a long civil war – andthey are pinning their hopes on an upcoming general election.Jaffna voted overwhelmingly in January’s presidential election to oust the strongman incumbent MahindaRajapakse.

His successor MaithripalaSirisena has drastically reduced the number of troops on the streets of Jaffna and lifted restrictions on diplomats, foreign tourists and journalists visiting.But locals say his election promise to bring about national reconciliation between the Tamils and Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese majority remains unfulfilled.

– A local government body –

“We will have reconciliation when the government gives us real autonomy under a federal structure,” said CVK Sivagnanam, chairman of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) – alocal government body.”Give us autonomy and 90 percent of the problems will be solved.”

– Influencein next parliament–

The Tamils’ longstanding demandfor greater autonomy has become a key issue in the August 17 elections.The local government bodywas elected in September 2013, five years after the war ended, but it lacks legislative authority.Former Jaffna MP Suresh Premachandran said the Tamils were hoping to increase their influence in the next parliament.