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| Thursday, 1 April 2004 |
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| Elections in NE will not be free and fair - Paffrel by Manjula Fernando The People's Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) yesterday observed that the situation in the North and East will not permit a free and fair election in those areas on April 2. PAFFREL Chairman Kingsley Rodrigo addressing reporters at a media briefing held at Marga Institute yesterday said the election in the troubled North-East, particularly in the Eastern areas where several polls related deaths have already been reported, will not be free and fair. The Chairman also said that they have received reports that the LTTE was obstructing rivals from election campaigning in the areas under their control. The killing of a UNF and TNA candidate in the eastern province has created a dangerous situation for campaigning. "But this is not a reason to debar the people in those areas from exercising their right to vote," he however, stressed. Based on their findings so far, PAFFREL has predicted that the most violent electorate on election day would be Mawathagama. According to election related incidents reported to the PAFFREL up to yesterday, Hiniduma topped the list followed by Kalawana, Kolonna, Kekirawa, Nivithigala, Tissamaharamaya, Galle and Matugama. Altogether, there had been five (5) murders, 95 cases of assault, 78 cases of threatening, property damage 51, election malpractice 44, 14 cases related to arson and 2 kidnapping. The United People's Freedom Alliance had been the most intimidated in this election while the United National Front is responsible for the highest number of violent incidents, followed by UPFA. PAFFREL rated this election to be relatively less violent than the 2001 general election, where they received reports of 567 cases during the then pre-election period as against this year's 311. Denying allegations levelled at them of corruption and being partial, PAFFREL General Secretary Jehan Perera said most of their staff including the directors were volunteers. "Some of the paid staff are earning between about Rs.15,000 to Rs.20,000 a month. None of us have made this a lucrative business," he said. "We had been branded of being SLFP, UNP and JVP from time to time and the most recent allegation is that we are LTTEers. We hope to take legal action against these malicious and unfounded allegations in future," the PAFFREL Chairman said. PAFFREL has deployed 92 foreign and 22,000 local monitors for the election. |
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