Clustered Polling booths to be located 500 meters from SLA checkpoint

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 October 2005, 11:16 GMT]
Jaffna district Government Agent (GA), Mr K Ganesh, in a meeting with election officials and officers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) held at the Secretariat offices Friday, informed that the Election Commissioner has directed him to arrange clustered polling booths near Muhamalai area to allow the voters in the Liberation Controlled areas in Vanni district to exercise their franchise, sources from Jaffna said. Unlike in the previous elections, the polling booths are to be located 500 meters away from the Muhamalai Sri Lanka Army (SLA) checkpoint towards Eluthumattuval direction, he added.

The GA further said there will be a minimum of two Sri Lanka Police officers providing security to each polling booth across Jaffna district. The Election Commissioner has also warned that if any irregularities in voting is discovered to be prepared to hold a re-poll , the GA said.

The transportation logistics and the security procedures to be adopted to the hundreds of voters expected to cross the checkpoint were not discussed in the meeting.

The details regarding the involvement of SLA soldiers in the process, and if there will be presence of troops near the polling booths have not been decided, he said.