Hustings in east off to a violent start

The Elections Commissioner this week ruled out a postponement of the eastern polls. Following complaints by political parties that armed cadres of the Pillaiyan group were involved in intimidatory tactics, the Commissioner assured those present that action would be taken to provide security.

Following the Commissioner’s ruling, measures to ensure the security has been tightened and the security forces have taken steps to curtail the activities and movements of the Pillaiyan group. Despite this however, the local government election campaign in the east got off to a violent start with hartal campaigns, rising communal tension and internal clashes among political parties.

Two hartal campaigns – one organized by the Pillaiyan group and the other organized by a Muslim religious group- crippled normal administration in Batticaloa and parts of the Ampara district during the week. Nominations for the nine councils including the Batticaloa Municipal Council commenced on Friday and ends on the 25th of January. The Pillaiyan group, the SLMC, the EPRLF, the PLOTE and the EPDP are among those set to contest the polls.

The EPRLF, PLOTE and the EPDP have come together to contest the election as a united front and will be contesting the polls as an independent group. They have already paid the required deposit. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has sought Court intervention to prevent the elections being held in the eastern province.

The UNP is due to announce its decision on Wednesday and will take into account the threats and intimidation that its candidates and supporters would face if they decide to contest. However the party is preparing to contest the poll. On Thursday the Pillaiyan group launched a hartal campaign to counter the hartal organized by a Muslim group on Monday protesting an attack on a group of Muslims outside a Mosque last Saturday night.

Four people were injured in the attack which was blamed on the Pillaiyan group. Subsequently a group of Muslims had stormed a Hindu temple at Arapatthi where they slaughtered a cow inside a temple angering the devotees. On Tuesday night a Muslim businessman’s house at Ottamavadi came under grenade attack injuring three persons. The attack was believed to be a result of a clash between supporters of Minister Ameer Ali and supporters of SLMC Central Committee member M.L.A.M Hisbullah.

The Minister’s supporters are reportedly threatening that only Muslims supporting the government would be allowed to contest elections in the area. Political parties which met the Commissioner of Elections on Monday pointed out that armed groups were operating in the area preventing a free and fair election campaign. They demanded that necessary action be taken to neutralize the armed groups which planned to contest the election.

The Commissioner assured those present that the action would be taken to instruct the police and security forces to provide them security. After the Commissioners ruling the security forces have curtailed the movement of armed cadres of the Pillaiyan group.

The TNA after failing to get a favourable response from the Elections Commissioner regarding its request to postpone the election, filed a Fundamental Rights petition seeking a postponement of the election. The case was filed on behalf of the TNA by The Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi (ITKA) -also known as the Federal Party- in the Supreme Court against the conducting of the poll.

The petition states the situation prevailing in the district was not conducive to hold a free and fair election. It states that the TMVP, the political wing of the paramilitary Pillaiyan group which is also contesting the election, openly carries arms. The ITKA charged the group with intimidatory tactics designed to prevent other parties from contesting the election and of indulging in acts of violence, killings and destruction of property in the Eastern Province.

ITKA points out that since 1994 no local elections were held in the east as there was an absence of the rule of law in the area.
In their petition ITKA claimed that members of the Pradeshiya Sabha had been assassinated, members abducted and the TMVP had threatened Parliamentarians in the Batticaloa District. The petitioners, the General Secretary ITKA Somasundaram Senaththirajah and its member in Batticaloa N. Indrakumar cited the Commissioner General of Elections and the Attorney General as respondents.

The petitioners requested Court in context of the prevailing situation, where free and fair elections could not be held, they request Court to preclude the holding of the Local Government Elections in the Batticaloa District.Officials in the area added that with more than 18,000 people still in welfare centres, the situation was not conducive to conduct elections despite cluster booths being set up for the poll.

Meanwhile efforts are afoot to have local monitors prepared to monitor the election. Polls are being conducted in the area after a lapse of six years.