Complaints have been lodged against police in Sri Lanka’s east for obstructing an ongoing campaign calling to boycott the presidential election.
The Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) launched its campaign in the Tamil speaking north and east three months ago appealing not to vote in an election that elects a president who would allegedly only serve the majority within a unitary state.
In the weekend, police in the eastern town of Thirukkovil in the Amparai district stopped TNPF General Secretary Selvarajah Kajendran from distributing fliers with a group of TNPF supporters.
Accusing the police of illegal obstruction in the complaints to Sri Lanka’s election commissioner (EC) and the human rights commission (HRCSL), MP Kajendran had urged disciplinary action against the Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Thirukkovil police station.
In a video recorded when the group of campaigners, a police officer pointing at the fliers can be seen saying, “this says not to vote. This cannot be distributed. This is prohibited”.
The Thirukkovil OIC has been filmed while telling the Tamil MP in Sinhala to stop the campaign as it goes against the constitution.
“This is in violation of the constitution. This urges people not to vote. That cannot be done. Stop this immediately.”
The Tamil MP told the officer that the need for a boycott would not arise if the major candidates stood up for a Federal form of government.
“If an election manifesto proposes to abolish the unitary state structure and adopt a Federal constitution, we will back it,” said MP Kajendran.
In the face of continuing police opposition the Tamil lawmaker was forced to wind up the campaign for the day.
