EU chief observer condemns shooting of politician, GA

[TamilNet, Monday, 29 March 2004, 11:16 GMT]
"It is a direct attack on the democracy," said European Union Election Observation Mission Chief Observer Mr John Cushnahan commenting on the attempted murders of a former minister in Colombo and a top government official in Batticaloa district, during his visit to Trincomalee Monday.

"These cowardly attacks should be condemned in the strongest possible terms," said Mr. Cushnahan talking to Trincomalee based journalists Monday in the office of the Trincomalee district secretariat.


( L-R ) EU Sri Lanka delegation head Mr.Wouter Wilton and EU EOM Chief Observer Mr.Cushnahan in the Trincomalee district secretariat.

Within hours of last Saturday night shootings, Mr. Cushnahan and head of the European Commission delegation in Sri Lanka Mr.Wouter Wilton visited the Apollo hospital and the Colombo national hospital where the injured former minister and one of the United National Party candidates contesting the Colombo electoral district and the Batticaloa Government Agent are warded.

Both met with relatives of the victims and expressed their deepest sympathy and horror at these attacks. They also spoke with the medical staff who were attending Mr. Maheswaran and Mr.R.Mounagurusamy.

"Nothing can express the horror and the revulsion that I feel regarding these latest incidents. The attempted murders of an election candidate and an election official represent a direct attack on democracy itself," said Mr. Cushnahan.