Voters’ attendance in Jaffna reached 50% at 2:00 p.m.

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 September 2013, 10:38 GMT]
Despite the psy-ops manipulations and various harassments by the occupying SL military in at several places of Jaffna peninsula, the participation of people in the provincial council election in Jaffna peninsula has reached almost 50% by 2:00 p.m., independent election monitors told media. A Tamil National Alliance politician and deputy chairman of Chaavakachcheari Pirathesa Chapai (PS), was almost abducted and tortured by the intelligence operatives of the SL military near a voting booth in Thenmaraadchi and when fellow TNA supporters came in a vehicle to his rescue, those who had abducted the TNA politician escaped into the SLA 52-4 Brigade command base at Vara’ni in Jaffna. Following this, a group of SL soldiers who came from the camp opened fire. The vehicle of TNA supporters has sustained heavy damage in the firing.

A tense-situation prevailed and the election officials struggled to bring normalcy back at the voting booth, the sources further said. 78 omplaints election related violent incidents have been reported till 2:00 p.m., said PAFFREL officials monitoring the elections.

In the meantime, the Sri Lankan Police has attacked an elected civic body member of the TNA at Thirunelveali in Jaffna. TNA parliamentarians have rushed to the site to ensure the safety of the TNA member, news sources in Jaffna said.

Also in Ki’linochchi, TNA parliamentarian S. Sritharan, who was inspecting the participation of people in the election, narrowly escaped from an attack on his vehicle at Pannangka’ndi.

Sri Lankan soldiers in civil have been deployed in large numbers, especially in areas where TNA has a strong support base. The SL soldiers were trying to chase away the voters.

A catholic priest has been detained in Mannaar and the SL policemen have assaulted another one, initial reports said. There were allegations of displaced Muslim persons living in Puuththa’alm, who had casted their votes there, being brought to Mannaar with the backing of a Sri Lankan minister to cast votes in support of the UPFA.

In Mullaiththeevu, particularly in Kokkuththoduvaay and in Ma’nalaa’ru , Tamil people were being blocked from casting their votes at the booths dominated by the Sinhala colonialists.

Colombo-based Virakesari Tamil daily had published an interview with SL presidential sibling Basil Rajapaksa. The copies of this paper, along with leaflets urging people to support UPFA, were distributed by the SL military in Vanni.

The entire mechanism of the occupying Sri Lankan State was illegally deployed by the UPFA government against the TNA. The target of the Sri Lankan State was to sabotage a two-thirds majority for the TNA in the provincial councils.

The former LTTE members, who are under the virtual custody of the occupying Sri Lankan State, have also been used against their wish in mobilizing support for the UPFA, news sources in Ki’linochchi said.

The Sri Lankan military has waged systematic propaganda events, such as a gala event for a ‘marriage’ between a Sinhala soldier and a former LTTE woman in Ki’linochchi last week.