Rigging reported amidst shelling

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 October 2000, 04:26 GMT]
Residents from the Jaffna town suburbs of Madathady, Paashaiyoor and Gurunagar began leaving their homes towards safer areas as the artillery duels between the Sri Lanka army and the Liberation Tigers that began in the early hours of the morning Tuesday intensified. The Liberation Tigers control the eastern and southeastern outskirts of the Jaffna town. Meanwhile, residents said that Tamil groups working with the Sri Lanka army are issuing illegally acquired polling cards to their supporters for voter impersonation.

Voter turn out in the town is poor because of the fighting said the Tamilnet's Jaffna correspondent. He said that some parties contesting the polls are bringing in supporters from different parts of the peninsula to impersonate absent voters whose polling cards were stolen, bought and 'embezzled' by these groups.

He said that the matter has been made easy because some polling stations have not been issued indelible ink which is meant to prevent a person from casting several votes by identifying him/her by a mark applied with the ink on the little finger after he/she has voted.

Police has taken no action so far to prevent the voter impersonation in several parts of Jaffna the correspondent said.