21/09/2013 09:12
Sri Lanka historic vote begins in northern areas
Voters in Sri Lanka's north have begun electing their first ever semi-autonomous council, four years after the army defeated Tamil Tiger rebels, the BBC reported.
The Tamil-majority Northern Province, which was first promised such a body decades ago, is the only region which has never had its own council.
The BBC Charles Haviland, at a polling station in Jaffna, said people of all ages were queuing before voting began.
The run-up to the election has seen allegations of army intimidation.
But this has been firmly denied by the authorities.
Voters in Jaffna had their fingernails marked with indelible ink after casting their ballot.
One elderly woman told the BBC: "We want a settlement for the Tamils. That's why we came to vote this time. We've been waiting so many years - now we want peace."