The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), a coalition of Sri Lanka’s biggest Tamil parties wants the Sri Lankan government to postpone the local government elections in the Northeast of the country due to the prevailing insecurity there.
“The ground situation in the East, where paramilitaries continue with threats, attacks, abductions and extortions, is not conducive to holding elections,” Selvam Adaikalanathan, TNA parliamentarian for Vanni district told reporters Sunday.
“Our candidates are being subjected to threats and harassments by the paramilitary elements in the Sri Lanka Army controlled areas on a daily basis in the run-up to the local elections,” he said.
Mr. Adaikalanathan was speaking after a meeting between the Liberation Tigers and the other TNA parliamentarians Sunday to discuss steps to be taken if Colombo insisted on holding the elections despite the Tamil request.
He condemned the government for delaying making a decision on holding local elections in the Northeast.
The final decision on holding the local elections in the NorthEast will be taken in a few days, said Mr Dissanayake, Sri Lankan Commissioner of Elections, said Saturday.
He was speaking after a meeting with District Secretaries of the Northeast in Colombo to discuss the difficulties in holding the local elections on 30 March.
Most of the District Returning Officers in the Northeast told the Commissioner at earlier conferences that holding elections to several local authorities located in the LTTE held territory will present security issues in having to setting up cluster polling stations for three hundred thousand voters to enter Government controlled territory to vote.
However, military authorities in the NorthEast have told the Election Department recommending setting up cluster polling booths as was done in the presidential election. But the most of election officials are not in favor of the suggestion by the military.
The Commissioner also told the Government Agents (GAs) to look into the possibilities of having the elections in government controlled areas, if not LTTE controlled areas.
In the Jaffna electoral district, about 1,11,290 voters reside in LTTE held territory, in Wanni electoral district about 90,338, in Trincomalee electoral district about 6,179, and in Batticaloa electoral district about 80,443.
Meanwhile, candidates competing in the Vavuniya district local council elections under the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) ticket – the flag under which TNA is competing – met with TNA MPs to plan their strategy.
“The ground situation in the East, where paramilitaries continue with threats, attacks, abductions and extortions, is not conducive to holding elections,” Selvam Adaikalanathan, TNA parliamentarian for Vanni district told reporters Sunday.
“Our candidates are being subjected to threats and harassments by the paramilitary elements in the Sri Lanka Army controlled areas on a daily basis in the run-up to the local elections,” he said.
Mr. Adaikalanathan was speaking after a meeting between the Liberation Tigers and the other TNA parliamentarians Sunday to discuss steps to be taken if Colombo insisted on holding the elections despite the Tamil request.
He condemned the government for delaying making a decision on holding local elections in the Northeast.
The final decision on holding the local elections in the NorthEast will be taken in a few days, said Mr Dissanayake, Sri Lankan Commissioner of Elections, said Saturday.
He was speaking after a meeting with District Secretaries of the Northeast in Colombo to discuss the difficulties in holding the local elections on 30 March.
Most of the District Returning Officers in the Northeast told the Commissioner at earlier conferences that holding elections to several local authorities located in the LTTE held territory will present security issues in having to setting up cluster polling stations for three hundred thousand voters to enter Government controlled territory to vote.
However, military authorities in the NorthEast have told the Election Department recommending setting up cluster polling booths as was done in the presidential election. But the most of election officials are not in favor of the suggestion by the military.
The Commissioner also told the Government Agents (GAs) to look into the possibilities of having the elections in government controlled areas, if not LTTE controlled areas.
In the Jaffna electoral district, about 1,11,290 voters reside in LTTE held territory, in Wanni electoral district about 90,338, in Trincomalee electoral district about 6,179, and in Batticaloa electoral district about 80,443.
Meanwhile, candidates competing in the Vavuniya district local council elections under the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) ticket – the flag under which TNA is competing – met with TNA MPs to plan their strategy.
