“My decision is that I will not vote... in the Nothern Provincial Council (NPC) election I campaigned for TNA, on a platform of recognising the Tamil homeland, the Tamil nation and the right to self determination. The people voted for me in support of that.”

“To vote for Maithripala Sirisena, whose stance is against that, is against my conscience. Therefore, I will withhold my vote in this election.”

The common opposition's presidential candidate, Maithripala Sirisena, vowed this week that he would not let the LTTE rise again if he were to win the election and pointed to the presence of the former army general Sarath Fonseka within the opposition coalition as proof of this.

Observers from the Commonwealth will monitor the forthcoming presidential elections in Sri Lanka.

The group of nine monitors, led by former president of Guyana Bharrat Jagdeo, was formally invited by elections commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya, and will observe both pre-election preparations and the electoral process itself.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma reiterated the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, to which the Commonwealth is a signatory, requesting a transparent, level playing field for the people to exercise their right to vote.

“Genuine democratic elections are an expression of sovereignty, which belongs to the people of a country, the free expression of whose will provides the basis for the authority and legitimacy of government,” he said.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he had “strong expectations” that the Sri Lankan government will ensure “the peaceful and credible conduct” of the presidential election, during a telephone conversation with External Affairs Minister GL Peiris.

The common opposition has accused President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government of colluding with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and pledged to recover the organisation's assets from abroad.

Jathika Hela Urumaya General Secretary Champika Ranawaka, a key member of the opposition coalition the New Democratic Front, said they would arrest and punish all remaining “LTTE terrorists” once they come into power.

Ranawaka said the government maintained links with former LTTE members Kumar Pathmanathan and others, and allowed the Global Tamil Forum and the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam to flourish.

Updated 29 Dec 2014

Latest reports from the Disaster Management Centre, suggest that 30 have died and 15 disappeared.

Over 1 million people have been affected, with several thousands displaced reports the Uthayan.

The heavy rainfall is expected to last in the region for longer than expected

Thousands have been displaced by the heavy flooding in Batticaloa.

In Mannar, 8,979 people including 2,434 families have been displaced, reported the Jaffna based newspaper Uthayan. Thirty-nine temporary welfare centres have been set up.

Heavy rainfall since the 22nd December has damaged thousands of homes, with hundreds being reported as irreparable.

From the Vakarai division alone, 8234 people are reported to be sheltering in public buildings, with a further 16,661 seeking refuge with friends and family.

TNA calls on government to assist flood victims in East (26 Dec 2014)

Displacement and deaths as heavy rains and flooding continue in East (26 Dec 2014)