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LTTE Making Life Difficult in Jaffna Says EPRLF Candidate
Bandula Jayasekara in Colombo,
SLT 11.00 P.M Thursday 25 March.
T.Sritharan, a candidate of the EPRLF says that LTTE is making life
difficult in Jaffna for democratic candidates and they find it very
difficult to carryout their election campaigns peacefully. He said from
Jaffna that the situation is worsening by the day. He said, " They are not
allowing us to distribute pamphlets or canvass freely. They have burned all
our pamphlets. They attack our supporters. The LTTE is also using latest
motorbikes to go round the city and instill fear among our supporters. We
can only canvass with police and army protection and we cannot move about
freely. Newspapers have been asked not to publish any of our
advertisements. "
He alleged that the LTTE/TNA are planning a mass scale vote rigging in the
Jaffna district and even the security forces will not be able to prevent it.
He said the LTTE had already established 450, mini political units
comprising fifteen members each to go along with the 450 Grama Sevakas in
the area and they are collecting the polling cards of the dead, missing and
displaced people. He said the Arts faculty students of the Jaffna
University are being used for this purpose by the LTTE. Srithiaran also said
"LTTE/TNA are using even a bus gifted by India to the Jaffna university to
travel around for their campaign and a scanning machine also gifted by India
for their election related work"
Sritharan questioned the attempts of the Government Agents of Jaffna,
Vauniya and the Western nations, to provide transport for people living in
LTTE controlled areas. He said, "They know very well that it would favour
the LTTE and those people will be forced to vote for TNA/LTTE." The EPRLF
candidate called for more foreign monitors to be sent to the north, not only
from the West but, monitors from India and other Asian countries. TULF
leader Anandasangaree and EPDP leader Douglas Devananda also have made
complaints of the serious situation prevailing in Jaffna that they are not
allowed to campaign freely by the LTTE. Both have complained of serious
threats to their lives by the LTTE.
Published: Thu Mar 25 11:54:10 EST 2004
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President says she is pleased that there has been no war for the past two and half years in Sri Lanka
Alladin Hussein in Colombo,
March 25, 2004, 8.44 pm.
President Chandrika Kumaratunga yesterday said she was glad that there was no war for the past two and half years. She however claimed that, despite no war in the country, the nation was yet to see signs of ‘peace’.
“I am glad that there has been no war at least temporarily for the past two an half years. But this does not mean that there is peace, we don’t have peace, we are not even close towards achieving peace," she told a mass rally yesterday.
Ms. Kumaratunga however expressed her apprehensions, saying she did not know what were the terms and the conditions agreed upon by the United National Front government, in their bid towards stopping the war, when they signed the Ceasefire Agreement in 2002.
She also pointed out that when the ceasefire agreement was signed between LTTE Leader Prabhakaran and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in February 2002, there was only 6000 LTTE cadres in the Tiger force, however within this last two years this has rose to an alarming 16,000. “If there was peace, and no war, why would they have increased the number of their cadres to such a drastic number," she queried.
Published: Thu Mar 25 09:46:04 EST 2004
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JVP Trade Union behind Kelanitissa power complex fire?
Alladin Hussein in Colombo,
March 25, 2004, 8.38 pm.
A recent fire at the Kelanitissa power complex in Colombo has been attributed to sabotage. Reports state that a Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna led union under the banner Lanka Viduli Sevaka Sangamaya has been behind this act of sabotage. The Ceylon Electricity Board has lost 165 MW of electricity due to the fire. However senior members attached to this union have denied these reports saying they had nothing to do with the incident.
The total loss due to the fire which occurred on Monday morning has been estimated at around US $ 30 million. However officials say that the private company which owns the power plant will be able to recover their loss through insurance.
Reports alleged that the fire was started by a group working in the power complex. Who were reportedly disgusted with the administration, following the government’s failure to grant several demands, including annual salary increases, and salary anomalies since 1997.
Published: Thu Mar 25 09:39:30 EST 2004
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