Piliyan, leader of Tamil rebel break-away faction TamilEela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), speaks to the Associated Press in Batticaloa, about 180 kilometers (113 miles) northeast of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday May 9, 2008. The government has hailed the provincial election as a crucial step toward restoring democracy to the east and destroying the last vestiges of the Tamil Tiger rebels' 13-year rule. But opposition candidates and election observers say the ruling party, which formed an electoral coalition with the TMVP, is using every means at their disposal, government resources as well as intimidation by gunmen, to ensure a victory. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

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