Thuggery Reappears In Eastern Election

Our Eastern Province Correspondent -  August 13, 2012 

Unidentified members have been inducted by the UFPA, the alliance in Government to engineer the Eastern provincial council elections in their own fashion with the support TMVP members.

Pillayan/ File photo

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) candidate Krishnapillai Seyon and his supporters were canvassing for TNA in Karuvaakeni, Valaichenai when these men in two Motorbikes (EPVI-8746, NCHR-7414) appeared and started to abuse them in filth against the candidate, his supporters and TNA party and left the scene. Then they reappeared in force on a tractor carriage with forty goons armed with sticks and batons and confronted TNA campaign group. The poster on the campaign vehicle was torn off by this goon squad and hand bills were confiscated and destroyed at once in front of us, a member of TNA campaign team told Colombo Telegraph.

We were told that this area belongs to Chief Minister Chandrakaanthan (Pillayan) and no other party can conduct campaign and asked to leave the vicinity. When the goons were becoming agitated and demanded that if we do not leave immediately that we were going to be harmed. The identified culprit of this alleged violation is identified as a supporter of chief minister Chandrakaanthan from Sunkankeni and an ex-provincial council member of Eastern province from ruling alliance party of President Rajapakse.

This incident of election violation was brought to the attention of Police and election monitors in writing by TNA candidate Krishnapillai Seyon.