The People's Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) said Tamil Tiger rebels had clearly signalled that Tamils, despite their kingmaker status in the two-horse race between two majority Sinhalese candidates, should not vote.

"Given the non participation of a significant number of Tamil voters at these elections due to the boycott call (by the Tigers) and intimidation, PAFFREL is deeply concerned about the effective disenfranchisement of these voters," the main private poll monitoring body said.

The future of the island's faltering peace process with the Tigers, as well as the deteriorating economy after decades of war and last year's tsunami, emerged as the main issues in the face-off between Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Elections' Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake said overall turnout in the poll was expected to be about 75 percent of the 13.3 million electorate but that polling in the Tamil majority northeast had been "very low".

In the northern district of Jaffna where the island's minority Tamil community is concentrated, the turnout was a meagre 0.014 percent of the 701,938 eligible voters, Dissanayake said in a televised statement.

"In the northeast, we had made all arrangements to stage the elections. We also provided transport. But the turnout there was very low.

"We have never seen anything like that before. I can't say what caused this," he said.

In the 1999 presidential election, the overall turnout was 73.3 percent and 19.1 percent in Jaffna.

Security force officials said the Tigers, who said they supported neither of the two main candidates, had enforced a "boycott" using strongarm tactics.

"The Tigers had clearly sent a message to the people not to vote," said a military commander guarding a polling station in the north of the island. "They called for a boycott without actually saying it."

PAFFREL said violence in Tamil-dominated northern and eastern regions had also scared off voters.

"There were seven bomb attacks in polling stations, two suspected bombers died while assembling a bomb, tyres were burnt on the road and buses were prevented from leaving LTTE-controlled areas," it said.

"It is regrettable that the election to the office of the presidency which is meant to be a result of a country-wide vote has failed to live up to its promise due to the non participation of a significant portion of the Tamil population of this country," PAFFREL added.

Police said two Tamil Tiger rebels and a Sinhalese civilian died and 17 people were wounded in a string of bomb and grenade attacks in the east where most of the violence was concentrated despite heavy security.

Analysts said a low Tamil turnout could help Rajapakse in the neck-and-neck contest with final results due Friday. The majority Sinhalese have been seen as marginally favouring the prime minister.

"A low turnout in Tamil areas is a clear advantage to the prime minister," said Tamil politician Dharmalingam Sithadthan. "The boycott is depriving Ranil of the votes he would have otherwise got."

The rebels had no comment on the polling, although they earlier said they would not try to stop voting.

The Tigers branded the movie star-turned-prime minister the "war candidate" after he called for a full review of a Norwegian-backed peace process.

Premier Rajapakse opposes sharing power with the guerrillas in a proposed federal state. Wickremesinghe, who while prime minister in 2002 struck a truce with Tigers, backs federalism.

The election was called after outgoing President Chandrika Kumaratunga lost a court bid to remain in office until December next year.

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