COLOMBO, Nov. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Sri Lanka's main opposition leader and presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe toured the country's northern city of Jaffna Thursday as part of his campaigning effort to win the presidential poll to be held on Nov. 17.

    Wickremesinghe, who was the island country's prime minister from 2001 to 2004, visited Jaffna's heavily guarded security zone and addressed the government troops stationed in the cultural capital of the minority Tamil community, sources from Wickremesinghe's United National Party said.

    Wickremesinghe told troops that he would have visited areas outside the security zone if not for security concerns.

    Officials said he visited a Hindu temple, the military hospitalat Palali, the police and the naval installations near the Kankesanturai harbor in the peninsula.

    Wickremesinghe also answered questions posed to him by soldierson his planned defense reforms outlined in his presidential election manifesto.

    He told troops that his peace process with the Tigers would in no way betray the nation as alleged by his detractors.

    Wickremesinghe who initiated the Norwegian backed peace initiative with the Tamil Tigers has been warned by state intelligence officials on a possible threat coming from both the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels and its renegade group.

    From 1983 to 1995 Jaffna was a stronghold of the LTTE. It was captured by Sri Lankan government forces in December and remains so since then.

    Around 35,000 government forces are stationed in the peninsula.Enditem