Pocket meetings, seminars dominate TNA Trinco campaign

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 March 2004, 15:26 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) candidates led by the lead candidate Mr.R.Sampanthan began addressing election seminars and pocket meetings in the areas held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam since Friday, as TNA's campaign efforts swung into full gear, political sources in Trincomalee said.

TNA candidates left Trincomalee town by vehicles Friday morning to LTTE held areas in Muttur east and Eachchilampathu divisions on a three-day tour. Several pocket meetings and seminars were held in Eachchilampathu division on Friday.

The TNA candidates have planned to travel to LTTE held Muttur east where about forty Tamil villages are located on Saturday evening, sources said.

About fifteen thousand voters in these LTTE held areas have been qualified to cast their votes in the forthcoming general elections, sources said.

Former parliamentarian and a candidate in the TNA list for Trincomalee Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham said pocket meeting in every hamlet in the district is being organized to educate the voters regarding the election symbol of the TNA. Since 1977 for the last twenty-seven years Tamil voters have been used to vote for the election symbol "Rising Sun" of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF).

In the last general election the TNA contested in the TULF ticket with "Rising Sun" as its symbol. However in the forthcoming general election the TNA has been contesting in the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi ticket with "HOUSE" as its election symbol. Hence we have taken steps to educate voters in villages about the change of symbol, he said.

Earlier TNA conducted meetings in several Tamil villages in the divisions of Tampalakamam, Kantalai and Kinniya, sources said.