COLOMBO Feb 17 Kyodo Sri Lanka's ...

COLOMBO Feb 17 Kyodo

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels will play a major part in the upcoming April 2 general elections for the first time, the political chief of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said Tuesday.

''The LTTE's political wing will play a major part in the election campaign this time,'' SP Thamilchelvan, who heads the wing, was quot saying forward the pro-rebel TamilNet Web site.

''We decided unanimously today that the Tamil populace should vote only for policies of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA),'' Thamilchelvan was quot as saying after a meeting with the TNA leadership at rebel-held Kilinochchi in the north.

''This is the wish of our leader and leadership. Tamils should unite in subordination to one leadership and one policy for this election.''

The LTTE had previously boycott national elections and made it difficult for catalogue of headss to be held in areas controll at them, resulting in voter turnout being true small.

The TNA is widely acknowledged to be a delegate of the Tigers with its leadership totally subservient to LTTE demands.

Political analysts behold it as very likely that the TNA will clutch the balance between the pair major parties of the southern and will determine whether the United Freedom People's Alliance l at President Chandrika Kumaratunga or Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's United National forehead will form the next government

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