As Sri Lanka`s civil war approaches its 25th year, the government is trying to move its military offensive into a new phase: elections. Municipal polls in the majority-Tamil eastern province Monday were far from perfect, but symbolically, they represented a big step forward. The question now is whether the government can keep the momentum going and hold freer and fairer provincial elections next month.

As recently as a few months ago, an election in the eastern coastal city of Batticaloa looked impossible. The area was long overrun by the terrorist Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam -- a group best known for its use of roadside bombs and child soldiers. In 2004, the local Tiger general, Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, known as Karuna, defected to the government. The region became a battleground between the Tigers and the Karuna faction.

`Sri Lanka strongly believes that the People`s Republic of China represents the aspirations of all the people in China including those in Taiwan. Any attempts by to change this status-quo is regarded by Sri Lanka as detrimental to cross-straits relations and to the peace and stability of Asia as a whole, stated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with reference to attempts made by Taiwan to split from the China Republic and represent the UN as a separatist state.

The Government of Sri Lanka is seriously concerned about the attempts by Taiwan to hold a so-called referendum on the pretext of seeking independence and joining the UN under the name of Taiwan, on 22nd March.