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SLMM
won't get involved in polls
Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Deputy Head Hagrup Hauckland told The Sunday Times the monitors had 'no capacity' in getting involved in making arrangements to conduct elections in areas under LTTE control in the north and east. His comments came hours after LTTE political wing leader, S.P. Thamilselvan brought up the issue with SLMM Chief Trond Furhovde during a meeting in Kilinochchi last afternoon. Soon after the meeting, Mr. Thamilselvan told journalists that he discussed practical issues regarding arrangements to allow the people in areas under LTTE control to vote in the elections. "The question of people from areas held by the LTTE involves arrangements by the LTTE and the Army. This is a cease-fire related matter. “Therefore the SLMM has a role in working out modalities to help people in our areas to vote at the elections," Mr. Thamilselvan argued. But, with the declaration by the SLMM that it had no capacity to get involved in making arrangements regarding elections in the northeast, a question mark still hangs over the voting rights of some 200,000 people living in the uncleared areas of the North and East. Military spokesman Sumedha Perera said the Army had decided not to relax security procedures on the day of the elections for people who would want to cross from uncleared to cleared areas to cast their votes. At the last Parliamentary election the army prevented voters crossing over from uncleared to cleared areas to vote and subsequently the Supreme Court ruled that it was illegal to deprive them of their voting rights. Colonel Perera told The Sunday Times the same security measures would be adopted on election day at the exit and entry points between the cleared and uncleared areas. Earlier, the North-East Government Agents who met Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake said they were prepared to make arrangements for elections in the uncleared areas. But Police Chief Indra de Silva told The Sunday Times it was not possible to hold elections in uncleared areas as the police would not be able to enter those areas. He said that if the Elections Commissioner decided to have cluster booths in cleared areas for voters from uncleared areas, the police could provide security along with the Special Task Force. The LTTE on Wednesday raised the issue with Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar. It expressed concern that if the normal security procedures were followed at entry and exit points, it would not be possible to check and clear voters within the nine-hour voting period, The LTTE, which is openly backing the Tamil National Alliance at the elections, said it had made arrangements to transport voters from uncleared to cleared areas. Meanwhile the TNA has made representations to PAFFREL, the local election monitoring body, to monitor the polls in the uncleared areas following the IGP's statement that the police cannot provide security in those areas because of provisions in the ceasefire agreement. PAFFREL officials who met the Commissioner of Elections yesterday were informed of practical problems such as landmines in the uncleared areas. The Commissioner pointed out that while uncleared areas in the Trincomalee district were known to be cleared of landmines, the demining had not been completed in Jaffna , Wanni and Batticaloa districts. |
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