, Ananthy Sasitharan, has become a rising Tamil voice in the North-East.

Tamil Guardian caught up with the activist-turned-politician on the phone, as she made her way home from a day of campaigning. The interview was interrupted briefly when Ananthy – who has already escaped an attack on her vehicle in recent weeks – suspected that her vehicle was being followed.

TAMIL GUARDIAN: How would you describe the present state of the Tamil homeland in the North-East?

ANANTHY SASITHARAN:

"Our homeland is completely occupied by the military, so much so that the military presence seems larger than the actual Tamil population. At any event, the army is there. People are scared by the army presence, they live in a state of fear, too afraid to talk or do anything. All our native lands are in their hands, they have seized everything.

The Indian government outlined today that it was yet to decide on its level of participation at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHoGM).

The Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman, Syed Akbaruddin, said,

"My delegation finds it disconcerting to keep noting the said allegations, particularly when the Council has been continuously sensitized to the action taken on the very same issues."

"My delegation is equally dismayed by the lack of objectivity displayed by Germany with reference to Sri Lanka in their statement which has chosen to ignore the concrete steps taken by the Government to achieve comprehensive reconciliation within the context of the LLRC, including to investigate atrocities alleged to have been committed at the end of the terrorist conflict in 2009"

"Father Bernard also told us of an EPDP medical doctor named Dr. Sinnathambi, who performs forced abortions, often under the guise of a regular check-up, on Tamil women suspected of being aligned with the LTTE."

"when the EPDP intends to kill a target, they first provide notice to the military.  The number of soldiers patrolling the streets of Jaffna (40,000 total on the peninsula) is such that there are literally soldiers stationed at every street corner.  At an agreed time, all of the soldiers in the designated area take a five to ten minute "break" at once (although the normal practice is to take breaks in shifts).  At that point, armed and masked gunmen, often riding on motorcycles, race down the street and assassinate the intended victim.  Shortly after the killing, the soldiers' break over, they return to their posts to deal with the aftermath. While police investigations are common, they almost never lead to arrests."

"Our task is to consider all the factors impinging on the credibility of the electoral process as a whole, and to assess whether the election is conducted according to the standards for democratic elections to which Sri Lanka has committed itself, with reference to its own election legislation as well as relevant regional, Commonwealth and other international commitments.

We will consider, among other things, whether conditions exist for free and competitive elections; whether the Elections Commission is independent and effective; the transparency of the process; whether candidates have been free to campaign; what role the media has played; whether voters have been free to express their will; and whether the results process is transparent.