Police to get tough on propaganda displays:

Cut-outs out after Nominations Day

BY SARATH Malalasekera

THE display of all candidates' posters, banners, billboards, cut-outs and propaganda material in public places will be taboo from October 6 midnight, the eve of nominations day for the November 17 Presidential Poll, the Police Elections Secretariat declared yesterday.

Stringent action will be taken against any individual or group acting in breach of this order, DIG Elections Gamini Navaratne told the Daily News.

He said Police will move in to pull down all propaganda hoardings and other structures after October 7 and appealed to candidates to cooperate with the police by ordering the removal all such propaganda displays themselves.

"All posters, cut-outs will be out after October 6 and those acting in violation of election laws will be severely dealt with. We will not brook any interference from any quarter. This time we mean business," DIG Navaratne said appealing to party candidates to rein in their supporters and election workers.

The DIG said strict instructions have been issued to all police stations islandwide to enforce the law to the letter and those officers who fail to carry out the instructions will be summarily dealt with.

"We will be compelled to remove all such officers from their stations with the concurrence of the National Police Commission," DIG Navaratne stressed.

IGP Chandra Fernando will chair a meeting of all top police brass today to plan security arrangements for the October 7 nominations day where thousands of supporters of candidates are expected to converge on the city.

DIG Navaratne has appealed to the candidates and campaign organisers to reduce the number of supporters accompanying them to the Elections Secretariat in Rajagiriya on this day to facilitate police operations and minimise the risk of incidents.