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By Ananda Kannangara

The Government has collected data on violent incidents that occurred during the last General Election period and compensation will be paid to the victims' families as early as possible, Lands Minister Rajitha Senaratne told the Daily News yesterday.

Minister Senaratne said Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has directed the relevant authorities to expedite the payment of such compensation.

The Minister, referring to the directive made by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at a recent Cabinet meeting over the payment of compensation to persons affected in the last General Elections said that the President has no moral right to make such a directive on the grounds of her failure to take any steps to pay compensation to those affected during the 1994 election.

Speaking to the Daily News Minister Senaratne said that the President cannot remember the incident of a woman being stripped during the Wayamba Elections by several PA supporters. He said that she paid no attention to this incident for which her party supporters were responsible. No efforts were made to investigate the incident.

"The President has also forgotten to pay compensation to people whose properties were burnt down by her supporters and the incidents of killing innocent people before and after the 1994 and the Wayamba Elections."

"Whatever the President said it is the duty of the Government to take immediate steps to pay compensation to people irrespective of their party policies," he said.

"Therefore people will not pay any attention towards this directive made by President Chandrika Kumaratunga as she has no moral right to ask the Government to pay compensation to the victims, having ignored the incidents during the PA regime."

In a news release issued yesterday, the Presidential Secretariat said President Kumaratunga has requested the Cabinet to pay compensation to victims of election violence within one month from August 7, 2002.

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