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EAM blocks Taiwan polls monitors
View(s):The External Affairs Ministry this week turned down a request from a monitoring body to bring 15 international election monitors from Taiwan, a spokesman for the monitoring group said.
Chief Coordinator of the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) D.M. Dissanayake told the Sunday Times that they were informed by the Elections Commissioner that he cannot grant approval, as the External Affairs Ministry will not process their visa applications.
He said 68 international monitors from Asian and American regions were invited by them to observe the forthcoming presidential elections.
“Other international observers obtained approval from the Elections Commissioner except the Taiwanese,” he said.
Mr. Dissanayake said he believed the request was turned down under the ‘One China policy’ of the Government, and therefore, they had to drop their plan to invite them.
The Sunday Times learns that the External Affairs Ministry intervened after approval had been granted by the Elections Commissioner to the Taiwanese.