277 Election violence reports

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 December 1999, 08:39 GMT]
Two hundred and seventy seven incidents of violence relating to the Presidential elections have been reported to the Special Election Secretariat during the period between 9 November and 1 December the Police said.

Party workers show the remains of a huge cut-out of Opposition Presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe after alleged ruling party supporters attacked the UNP headquarters in Colombo on 29 November. Campaigning for the election has become violent with at least three people getting killed in election related violence since the election was announced. Photo:AFP

According to the Police the ruling PA has made 110 complaints and the UNP 133, while the JVP has made 20. Other parties have lodged 14 complaints.

A Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) said court hearings into the killings in these violent incidents will begin soon.

Meanwhile the government press is reported to have printed 686,000 voting cards for polling in the Jaffna peninsula, where, according to official statistics, 555,975 people live, with only 370,000 eligible voters.

The matter will be taken up with the Additional Elections Commissioner by the UNP, when he meets candidates on Friday, sources said.