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Commonwealth Secretariat sending polls observers
From Neville de Silva in London
The London-based Commonwealth Secretariat is sending a mission to Sri Lanka to monitor the April 2 parliamentary elections, Commonwealth sources said. The foreign observers from several Commonwealth countries will be strengthened by several officials from the secretariat in London, some of whom are already in Colombo as an advance party.

The mission's remit will include observing the preparations for the general election, polling, counting and the results process and the overall electoral environment.

The Commonwealth observers named so far are: Margaret Reid, former president to the senate and chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliament Association, Australia; Robert Jamieson, editor-in-chief, The Chronicle, Malawi; Ilona Tip, senior adviser conflict management, Electoral Institute of South Africa; J.M Lyngdoh, a former chief election commissioner, India; Paul East, a former minister and High Commissioner to the UK, New Zealand; Dr Ashika Salim, Commonwealth Youth Ambassador and member of the Commonwealth Youth Caucus for Asia, Bangladesh and Jocelyn Lucas, a former election officer, Trinidad and Tobago.

The observer team is likely to make an interim report on the run-up to the election and the election itself before it leaves Colombo. Its full report is expected to be presented in London to Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon who is now in Kuala Lumpur attending a meeting of the Commonwealth tourism ministers which ends in Malaysia today.

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