Sivakeetha requests Election Commissioner to fill abducted member’s post

[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 December 2010, 14:36 GMT]
The mayor of Batticaloa Municipal Council Sivakeetha Pirapaharan has written to the Sri Lankan Commissioner of Elections to fill the vacancy created following the abduction of a councillor, Prakasam Sahayamani, who was also a member of a paramilitary faction led by Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, the chief minister of Eastern Province.

Sources close to Pillayan group alleged a team of Sri Lanka Army Intelligence for being behind the abduction that took place in August 23, 2010.

Prakasam Sahayamani was abducted after meeting Sivakeetha in her house, according to the complaints lodged with the Sri Lankan Police and the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) of Mahinda Rajapaksa by the wife of the victim.

The Batticaloa mayor made the request to the Commissioner of Elections as the abducted had not attended four meetings of the Batticaloa Municipal Council consecutively.

A member ceases to hold the post if he is absent for three meetings consecutively, according to Sri Lankan Local Authorities Act.

This was brought to the notice of the mayor at the last meeting of the BMC by councillor K.Arumailingam of EPDP paramilitary group.