Election campaigning takes a violent turn
- Monday, 16 September 2013
Immediate intervention needed to avert tragedy – CaFFE
Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) fears that there will be an increase in election related violence in the coming days if immediate action is not taken to uphold election laws. There has been a spike in violence in Central and Northwestern Provinces in recent days and it has been confirmed that vehicles without number plates have been involved in most of these incidents.
Two major instances of violence were reported last night (September 15) in Central and Northwestern Provinces. Supporters of United National Party (UNP) candidate, WMPB Warawewa were assaulted at Mahaiyawa, Kandy and a vehicle carrying his propaganda material has been damaged. Warawewa’s supporters were putting propaganda material, used during a rally in Mahaiyawa, back into the van when a group arriving in three Defender jeeps attacked them. Those who were assaulted identified one vehicle (PA 7373) and the other two vehicles were running under garage numbers. They have also stated that they will not allow anyone else to campaign in Kandy.
Meanwhile supporters of National Unity Alliance (NUA) were assaulted when they were distributing leaflets in Kalpitiya Road, Norachcholei around 8 pm. Mohommad Firoze, NUA’s Chief Ministerial candidate for the Northwestern Provincial Council, has been admitted to Puttalam Hospital following the attack. NUA claims that those who lead the attack were United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) candidate, Riyaz and Kalpitiya Pradesheeya Sabha chairman, Minhaj. Similar to the incident in Kandy vehicles without number plates were used for the attack.
CaFFE observers report that UPFA candidate Sanath Nishantha and several parliamentarians in Puttalam are using vehicles without number plates for election campaigning. It is worth noting that no one has been apprehended for the two attacks so far.
CaFFE Executive Director Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon said that violence will increase if politicians continue to violate election as well as civil laws of the country. If the Department of Elections and the Police do not take immediate action to enforce election laws, the voters will have nothing to but appeal to the gods for a free and fair election on September 21, Tennakoon added.
