Hundreds of Polling Cards Forcibly Collected in Killinochchi

One Killed in Anuradhapura, UNP Mayoral Candidate Assaulted in Nuwera Eliya, Illegal Propaganda Continues

REUTERS PICTURES :
A Tamil woman shows her ink-marked finger after she cast her vote during a local government election in Jaffna about 304 km (184 miles) north of Colombo, July 23, 2011. Sri Lanka's northern cities hold local polls for the first time in many years on Saturday and though the civil war is over, fear and intimidation remain rife, according to poll monitors and opposition politicians.
by Keerthi Tennakoon

(July 23, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Hours before commencement of polling on Election Day, a shooting incident took place in Paniyang Kadawala, Saliyapura in the Anuradhapura District, leaving one person dead. He was a strong UPFA supporter and this death is reportedly a result of an internal clash between UPFA party members in the area.

The worst and most disturbing reports are reaching from the Karachchi Pradeshiya Sabha in the Killinochchi District. A group of armed, unidentified persons were reportedly forcibly collecting the voters cards in the areas of Raamanadha Puram, Vattakachchi, Malayala Puram and, Bharathi Puram throughout last night. Similar incidents have been reported from more than 20 villages.

The people who refused to give away their polling cards were beaten up and threatened to cut their throats out. Identical incidents were reported from the Pallai Area in the Pachchillapallai Pradeshiya Sabha.

CaFFE observers have confirmed 14 such incidents which have been conducted on a mass scale.

At midnight last night [22.7.2011], a senior minster with a group of 80 people arrived at the Thalawekele Estate in the Thalawekele Urban Council Area, and assualted 15 people including supporters of Mr. Syllvester; a UNP candidate. Mr. Syllvester, his father and three others were taken into police custody and remained in custody till the minister left the Thalawekele Estate at 4am today.

Tell a Friend