国际英语新闻：Millions vote for south Sudan's new chapter

Deng Ayok, a 28-year-old university student who suspended his study in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, and returned to the south in November, led his family to vote at Juba University Sunday morning.

The civil war forced him to become a refugee at three years old. His mother fled with him to Ethiopia, while his father joined the army of the SPLM to fight in the bush for 20 years.

"I hope the referendum can reflect our will and lead to a permanent peace and stability of all Sudanese people," he said. " We had suffered so much during the civil war. We need dignity and human rights in a peaceful and stable land."

Barnaba Benjamin, minister of information and spokesman of the southern Sudanese government, expressed his confidence in an interview with Xinhua on Saturday that the southern Sudanese would vote for the independence of the region in the referendum.

He held the successive northern governments responsible for failure to boost the emotion for unity among the southern Sudanese citizens since country's independence in 1956.

But leading member of the ruling SPLM affirmed that the emerging southern Sudan state, in case of separation, would not be hostile to north Sudan and it would never seek war.

In a speech on Saturday, Kiir urged voters to "behave in a peaceful and respectful manner" and reiterated that there is no return to war.

"The referendum is not the end of the journey but rather it is the beginning of a new one. There is no substitute to peaceful co-existence, cooperation and partnership which we shall and are all committed to embark on in the lifetime ahead," Kiir said.