Curfew announced in election provinces

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 April 1999, 14:42 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government announced this evening that a curfew would be declared from 11 p.m. tonight to 5 a.m. tomorrow morning in the five provinces of the island.

The curfew has been imposed to prevent violence Police sources said.

The curfew will be in effect in the western, Sabaragamuwa, Uva, central and northcentral provinces.

Meanwhile, a supporter of the ruling People Alliance P(A) was killed and four other people wounded in Kandy when a bomb exploded an hour before polling began this morning.

The motorcade of Colombo Mayor Mr. Karu Jayasuriya was attacked near Athidiya polling station in Ratmalana, a suburb of Colombo.

The Mayor's bodyguard was wounded in the attack. A UNP cameraman who was video filming at the polling station was also assaulted and had his camera smashed.

Near the same polling station, two JVP candidates were assaulted this afternoon around 12.30 p.m., allegedly by supporters of PA.

The information Secretary of the JVP, Mr.Wimal Werawansa, who had gone to find out what had happened at the polling station was also assaulted. He has made a complaint to the Police.

Elsewhere, a gang of around 50 persons assaulted the Nuwara Eliya district co-ordinator of the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), Mr. Sanjeewa Wijesekere, around 10 a.m. today out side a polling station.

The incident took place at the Keerthi Bandarapura polling station at Walapane while Mr. Wijesekere and another official, Sanjeewa Fonseka, were speaking to police officers outside the polling station.

Mr. Wijesekere was kicked and assaulted. He was hit on the head with knuckledusters and chased to his vehicle said the CMEV.

A statement issued by the CMEV said Mr. Wijesekere is in need of medical attention.

However, he is afraid to go to the hospital because the hospital appears to be surrounded by PA supporters, the statement further said.

CMEV was formed in 1997 by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), the Free Media Movement (FMM) and the Coalition Against Political Violence as an independent and non-partisan organisation to monitor the incidence of election-related violence.