UNP Southern Provincial Council candidate Chandana Wijesinghe was attacked in Hakmana by a group of four unidentified men who came in motorcycles yesterday.
Police said he had come under attack while organizing a UNP rally that was to be attended by UNP National Organizer S.B Dissanayake.
Wijesinghe who had been attacked with clubs is now receiving treatment at the Matara General hospital which said he was out of danger.
Meanwhile a supporter of a major political party was run down by a vehicle belonging to one of the candidates in Pamburana, Matara yesterday, Matara police said.
The victim succumbed to the injuries while being admitted to the Matara General Hospital.
He was distributing propaganda material for next week’s Southern Provincial Council elections when the accident took place.
Creating more election violence, supporters of candidates from the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) for the upcoming Southern Provincial Council polls in Sri Lanka clashed with each other in Galle last night, police said.
Supporters of Nishantha Muthuhettigama and Sajin Vas Gunawardena, both candidates from the UPFA got involved in a scuffle last night during their election publicity campaigns in the Galle city.
According to the police several supporters of both sides were injured and have been admitted to the Karapitiya hospital.
Police have already commenced a special investigation over the incident.
Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa has earlier urged the candidates for the Southern Provincial Council election to avoid from canvassing for preferential votes.
The government has taken measures to employ prisoners in Matara Prison for various activities of the propaganda meeting of the UPFA to be held tomorrow at Sanath Jayasuriya Stadium in Matara tomorrow (2nd) LankaTruth reported.
The labour of these prisoners is used for the erection of the security fence and the stage, cleaning of the esplanade and the pavilion. The prisoners have been released for the work on the mediation of a top person in the government.
The President is scheduled to address the meeting tomorrow and posters and cutouts have been put up throughout the province advertising the event. Employing prisoners for election propaganda is a violation of the election law and an instance of gross abuse of state power.
Three people were admitted to the Karapitiya hospital in a major clash between the supporters of Piyasena Gamage and Sajin Vaas Gunawardena, both of the UPFA, in Hiniduma yesterday morning.
“A group of supporters who work for Gamage was having a small gathering when a group supporting Sajin Vaas came to the same area to distribute leaflets and paste posters. When Gamage’s men requested them not to campaign in the same area there has been a harsh exchange of words which escalated into violence,” said Spokesman for the Campaign For Free and Fair Elections(CaFFE) Keerthi Tennakoon. “Two to three people sustained injuries and were admitted to the Karapitita hospital,” he added.
Meanwhile, brother of National Freedom Front (NFF) Chairman, Wimal Weerawansa, Sarath Weerawansa was arrested by Pitabeddara Police for allegedly assaulting a group of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) supporters at Morawaka.
“Weerawansa came with a group of thugs in vehicles KH 3944 and 64-8027 and assaulted a group of JVP supporters. Ranjith Nishantha and W. P Jinadasa were admitted to the Kosneelgoda hospital and Weerawansa was arrested by the Pitabeddara police. But he has been released and has checked into a hospital,” claimed JVP provincial Council candidate Priyantha Rajapaksa.
The Southern Provincial Council election that will take place next Saturday (10) will be far from being free and fair, according to election monitors, due to a significant increase in election violence in all three districts.
Spokesperson for Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), Keerthi Tennakoon said the Southern Provincial Council Election will be far from being fair and free due to the spike in election violence.
“Merely having a ballot box and asking people to vote, will not guarantee a free and fair election,” he said. “There have been an unprecedented number of election violence cases, some of which are instigated by authorities themselves, which has made us doubt the outcome of the elections.”
“The failure on the part of authorities, both in law enforcement and the Elections Commissioner’s Department, to ensure that law and order is maintained, are signs that the situation has gone from bad to worse and we see no signs of improvement,” he said.
More than 1.7 million voters in the Southern Province will go to the polls next Saturday as one of the most colorful and controversial provincial election campaigns held this year draws to an end.
With a landslide victory almost guaranteed the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) , the party’s campaign has focused on the military victory against the LTTE, while the UNP and the JVP have focused on the corruption and waste by the government as well as the economic hardships faced by the people.... (Read More)
The Election Monitoring NGO, Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE) claims police are selective in implementing election laws. Ruling party candidates and even some of the UNP candidates are recipients of favoured treatment by police, says CAFFE spokesman Keerthi Tennekoon.
Larger than life cutouts of candidates have been put up in the premises of the Government Agent office in Galle. Finally, the Elections Commissioner ordered the removal of these cutouts only after the media highlighted the issue.
The election is a one horse race. This is very much the public consensus, which is also congruent with the results of the recent elections which the UPFA won in a landslide. That does not however mean that the election campaigning should be the prerogative of the UPFA all along. However, that seems to be the case. ... (Read More)
The UNP has virtually given up electioneering in the Hambantota District, which prompted the party leader to warn that unless the election machinery is geared up, the JVP would become the Opposition.
Senior Cabinet Ministers predict a historic victory for the UPFA at the forthcoming Southern Provincial Council election.
Transport Minister and Matara district Chief SLFP Organiser Dulles Alahapperuma said that the latest survey has indicated that UPFA would win the election obtaining more than 85 percent of the total votes. It will be far ahead of Uva, Central and Western Provincial Council votes the UPFA obtained. (Read More)
People from villages are being collected using CTB buses for the rally presided by the President to be held today (4th) at Sanath Jayasuriya Esplanade at Matara. CTB buses from depots from various areas have been deployed for the operation and our reporter at Matara says more than 300 buses from various districts are operating in the town.
Arrangements have been made to transport people from Devinuwara to Matara from buses that have been obtained from Ambalangoda, Moratuwa, Kirindiwela, Divulapitiya, Ududhumbara, Mahawa, Matale, Kandy, Homagama and Yatinuwara depots. People from Weligama are to be transported by buses brought from Elpitiya, Valachchena, Kalmune, Ratnapura, Galle, Kuliyapitiya, Angoda, Kalawana, Koggala and Udugama depots. People around Matara are to be transported by buses brought from Deraniyagala, Wattegama, Kadawatha, Negomba, Godakawela, Ambilipitiya, Horana, Tangalle, Welisara, Kalmune, Potuwil, Wariyapola, Nawalapitiya and Udatenna depots. Also buses from Yatinuwara, Matara, Rakwana, Panadura, Welisara, Kalutara and Meetotamulla have been provided for the transport of people from Kamburupitiya.
Meanwhile, a CTB bus from Wattegama depot bearing Reg. No. WP NA-2552 and a Bus from Katubedda depot with Reg. No. WP NA-1232 have been parked to hide the ‘Sathyagraha’ being carried out by unemployed graduates in Matara town. Another bus assigned to carry police officers too has been parked here to conceal the ‘Sathyagaraha’ from the people says our reporter
