First visit to northern Sri Lanka by a president in 30 years

Colombo, Jan 10 : The first visit by a president of Sri Lanka to Jaffna, the former war-torn northern capital of the country, in nearly 30 years took place Sunday, officials said.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited the Jaffna peninsula, 400 km north of the capital, and met government troops, civilians and the clergy amidst tight security.

Former presidents, besides Rajapaksa, had not been able to visit the minority Tamil populated Jaffna peninsula mainly due to the security issues.

Government forces finally overcame the resistance of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May last year, after decades of civil war which left more than 70,000 people dead.

Rajapaksa is contesting the upcoming presidential elections for a second term and part of his visit was linked to his election campaign.

Rajapaksa's closest rival is the former army chief, General Sarath Fonseka, who led the army to defeat the LTTE.

Both, Rajapaksa and Fonseka have been claiming credit for the war in a bid to attract votes at the Jan 26 election in which 14 million are due to vote.