The Sri Lankan police in Maruthankerny, Jaffna, obstructed Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) members, including Selvarajah Kajendren MP, as they campaigned for a boycott of Sri Lanka's presidential elections.
On Sunday, the police officers confiscated pamphlets and blocked the path of the members of the TNPF as they questioned the members over their campaign.
One officer, speaking in Sinhala, informed someone on the phone that only a few people with pamphlets were present. The Sinhala-speaking officer mentioned that there were eight TNPF representatives present and was asked if they planned to hold a demonstration. He responded that they did not intend to march but were simply distributing leaflets. Officers from the Maruthankerny police station demanded that the TNPF withdraw and abandon their campaign.
Since May of this year, the TNPF has been urging Tamil people to boycott the upcoming Sri Lankan presidential election. A statement released earlier this year criticised the Sri Lankan government, stating: “The Sri Lankan government views the Tamil homeland as an enemy. They continue their policies of Buddhization, militarization, and structural genocide in the homeland. As long as the majority representation remains in their hands, they will regard Tamils not as their own people but as adversaries.”
The statement concluded: “The only option left for the Tamil people is to reject the presidential election.”
This incident in Jaffna is not the first time the Sri Lankan police have interfered with the TNPF’s election boycott efforts. Last month, the TNPF submitted a written complaint to Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Council, detailing how the police obstructed their campaign in Amparai. Footage from Amparai showed police stopping a TNPF member and claiming that leaflets promoting the boycott “could not be distributed.”
