SL Navy, EPDP, seal off election campaign in the islands of Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 July 2011, 13:47 GMT]
Occupying Sri Lanka Navy and the EPDP collaborating with Rajapaksa regime have sealed off the islands sector of the Jaffna Peninsula for the civic elections scheduled to 23rd of this month, by ordering the TNA candidates not to leave the islands and by preventing TNA campaigners coming into the islands sector from outside. In the meantime, former SL Navy commander who was earlier occupying the islands and now holding the office of the Governor of the Eastern Province has been brought to the islands as in-charge of Rajapaksa’s election campaign in the Delft Island. While the SL Governor of the East, who is a ‘government servant’ being deployed in the campaign is highly questionable, the SL Governor of the North is also engaged in electioneering, setting new definitions to democracy, comment the public.

For every division in the north Rajapaksa regime has appointed a minister to supervise its campaign in the civic elections for the Town and Village Councils. The Delft Island off the Jaffna Peninsula is a division of its own, and the SL Governor for the Eastern Province Nihal Jayawikrama is now deployed there to campaign for Rajapaksa’s SLFP.

The SL Eastern Governor was earlier SL Navy commander for the Islands Sector of the Jaffna Peninsula. Under his occupation, SL Army and Navy terrorised the region. His deployment for campaign now evokes serious concern in the public about impending malpractices in the civic elections.

Meanwhile postal votes were taken in the Islands Sector on Tuesday and there were allegations that the outside officers working in the islands had been intimidated to vote for Rajapaksa’s SLFP in their postal votes. Some complaints in this regard have reached the SL Government Agent in Jaffna, but nothing came out openly. There is reluctance in the civil officers in Jaffna on telling anything about the postal votes.

Chronology: