Another Tamil party given go ahead to take part in Sri Lankan local elections

Another Tamil party intending to contest the local elections in Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka has won its appeal against the exclusion of its candidates.

Election officials had earlier told the Tamil United Liberation Front, or TULF, that its candidates were too young.

Five Tamil parties are now taking part in the contest -- the first poll in northern Sri Lanka since the civil war broke out fifteen years ago.

The BBC Colombo correspondent said the turnout in the elections - scheduled for 29th January - will be an important indication of how much faith local people put in the political system.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service