Voting in the Parliamentary elections opened at 7.00 a.m. in over 12,000 polling booths, election officials said. More than 75,000 policemen and STF personnel have been deployed for security for today’s election while some 125,000 officials are involved in the conduct of the poll and for counting purposes. Commissioner of Elections Mahinda Deshapriya urged voters to cast their vote in the morning hours. ‘Vote early and get back to your homes or workplaces instead of staying around polling booths’, he said. He said it would be convenient for the voters as well as staff if the voter takes his polling card, but it was compulsory to take the card. Over 30,000 local monitors and 200 international observers are watching the conduct of the poll. According to the Commissioner the first electoral level result is expected only after midnight, but postal vote results are expected around 10.00 p.m.
A Sri Lankan man was apprehended at Suvarnabhumi airport for attempting to smuggle wildlife out of the country after three ball pythons were found hidden in his underwear, the Bangkok post reported.
The UK government has unveiled a package of reforms to simplify imports from developing countries which allows for more garments manufactured in Sri Lanka to enter the UK tariff-free.
Read these and more on tomorrow’s edition of the Sunday Times
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