Signifying the return to normalcy in Sri Lanka's second largest northern town of Vavuniya, five political parties have set up offices there, party officials said in Colombo Tuesday.

The ruling United People's Freedom Alliance, the main opposition United National Party, as well as three Tamil parties, including Eelam People's Democratic Party, Tamil Eleam Liberation Organization and Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students, all set up their offices in Vavuniya as part of their preparations to face the Vavuniya Urban Council election scheduled for Aug. 8.

Vavuniya was the gateway to the former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled areas in the Northern Province.

The Vavuniya district was a hotbed of violence during the entire three-decade-old conflict.

However, with the government troops crushing the LTTE late May, normalcy is gradually returning to the district.

The election in Vavuniya is the first since 1994 after years of political unrest.

An election is also scheduled on the same day for the Municipal Council of Jaffna, the largest city in the north dominated by the minority Tamils.

Source: Xinhua