Police force public to attend UPFA election office opening in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 July 2009, 14:17 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police brought in their vehicles ten persons each from their local areas in Jaffna peninsula whom they had summoned to the police stations through the respective Village Officers, to the official opening of the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) election office in Jaffna, Sunday around 9:30 a.m, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, Minister Douglas Devananda, leader of Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), an ally of UPFA, was a notable absentee in the event held in the newly opened UPFA election office located on Somasuntharam Veethi, Chu’ndikkuzhi, Jaffna, the sources added.

EPDP office sources in Jaffna, on being contacted, said that they had not received any information about the opening ceremony of UPFA office in Jaffna.

A batch of students fro Jaffna Technical College too was brought in vehicles to participate in the above opening ceremony.

Public being summoned to police stations and then taken to the UPFA office opening ceremony against their wish has created shock and uneasiness among the people in the peninsula.

Minister of Power and Energy, Aluthananda Gamage, Western Province Chief Minister, Reginald Cooray and the chief candidate contesting in Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) ticket in Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election were present at the event Sunday.

Minister Aluthananda Gamage promised the attendees that rice will be sold at Colombo prices to the people of Jaffna and that the A9 route will be opened for public use from 1 August.

People of Jaffna have become used to being offered various pre-election promises and to see none of them fulfilled, civil society sources in Jaffna said.

The UPFA election office is housed in the private property of a medical doctor, the sources said.