BY

Ruwan Laknath Jayakody

In the run up to the 20 September Uva Provincial Council polls, incidents of violence and violation of election laws have rapidly increased in the Province, police and election monitors claim.

The Network for Election Monitoring – Intellectuals for Human Rights (NEM-IHR), Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) and People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) said 57 incidents were reported up to yesterday.

Of a total of 57 incidents reported since the nominations date, CaFFE reported six acts of violence (four from Badulla District and two from Moneragala District), while PAFFREL reported eight such incidents out of 45 complaints, and the NEM-IHR recorded nine violent incidents from 113 election law violations.

Executive Director of CaFFE, Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon noted that a tensed situation had prevailed last Saturday when United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) candidate Chamara Sampath Dasanayake and a group of his supporters had been distributing leaflets in the Bandarawela Town where the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)’s main public rally stage, at which Party Leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake was scheduled to speak, was being decorated.

Tennakoon mentioned that the public places in the Moneragala District and the electorates of Mahiyangana and Wellawaya were fully covered with illegal propaganda material and described the situation as being ‘out of control’.
However, Deputy Commissioner of Elections, M.M. Mohamed claimed the distribution of leaflets did not contravene the law.

A JVP office in Aiwela and a United National Party (UNP) office in Bibile have been attacked. In Dodangolla, Kotagama and Karagahahena in the Moneragala District, decorations, posters and cut-outs at the JVP and UNP election offices have been torn and burnt by the UPFA, Executive Director of PAFFREL, Rohana Hettiarachchi claimed.

“A shop and a three wheeler had also been set ablaze. There have been several dangerous incidents of armed groups coming in Defenders and making threats. District level Party leaders, team leaders and ministers must help control this situation,” he said.

Attacks on Opposition propaganda offices (four JVP legal offices burnt in Moneragala, a UNP office in Uva-Paranagama destroyed) and candidates (a UNP candidate and supporters attacked by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party in Kataragama in the Moneragala District and a Democratic National Alliance candidate assaulted by UPFA supporters), have been reported and confirmed, Media Spokesman and Legal Adviser of NEM-IHR, Chaminda Gunasekera said.

“In Bibile, State property and government resources (the premises of an agriculture school) have been utilized for an UPFA legal propaganda office and civil security service personnel are deployed there,” Gunasekera claimed.

Courtesy:Ceylon Today