CAMPAIGN

CAMPAIGN FOR
FOR DEMOCRACY
DEMOCRACY IN
IN SRILANKA
SRILANKA -AUSTRALIA
-AUSTRALIA

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The Australian Government, State Governments, Australian Trade Union Movement

and friends of Sri Lanka,

The Presidential Election 2010 was not free and fair. The main obstacle that
eliminated a level playing field was the special privileges enjoyed by the ruling
political party. These include:

• Use of state power to influence public opinion, use of state resources and
property for the political campaign of the ruling party.
• Political interference in the public service and the police who are responsible
for holding the election.
• Use of state media organisations solely for the propaganda purposes of the
political party as well as malicious mud slinging campaigns against the
opposing political parties and candidates

Use of state power, resources and property

In this Presidential Election the incumbent candidate Mahinda Rajapakse was
privileged with the executive power vested in him as well as other privileges enjoyed
by his cabinet and MPs, the powers of all provincial councils and the majority of local
authorities. The ruling party boldly used all these powers, resources and properties,
thus violating election law, administrative and financial regulations in the country.

Therefore the other candidates were discriminated against. The police failed to
maintain law and order in the pre-election period and as a result election violence
escalated. Violations of election law continued and the police turned a blind eye to
them

Election violence
The election was violent from the day it was declared. There were 589 instances of
pre-election violence including the killing of four persons. On most occasions the
victims were supporters or activists of the candidate Sarath Fonseka. The Police
miserably failed to maintain law and order. Being biased towards the ruling party
politicians, they caused the violence to escalate. In some instances police arrested
opposition party supporters who were engaged in lawful propaganda.

Abuse of state media

All the state-owned media, including newspapers, television and radio, were used
directly for the propaganda of the candidate Mahinda Rajapakse and a malicious
campaign against candidate Sarath Fonseka. The abuse of state media started even
prior to the declaration of the election and continued throughout the period ignoring
protests from political parties, election monitoring organisations, religious leaders.

Secretary, Campaign for Democracy in Sri Lanka – Australia, P.O Box 2240 Fountain Gate 3805
Email: democracy@ozemail.com.au

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 CAMPAIGN
CAMPAIGN FOR
FOR DEMOCRACY
DEMOCRACY IN
IN SRILANKA
SRILANKA -AUSTRALIA
-AUSTRALIA

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The Government totally disregarded the directives of the Election commissioner.

The Supreme Court too ordered the state media organisations to follow the Election
Commissioner's instructions but the state media continued their biased media
practice and campaigned for the candidate Mahinda Rajapakse.

Election Day and the previous day

On January 25, the day before the election, the identity cards of people in Kalutara,
Gampola, Nawalapitiya and Balangoda areas who supported the opposition
candidate were forcibly collected. The objective was to prevent them from casting
their vote. There were fraudulent polling cards and ballot papers issued, aimed at
vote rigging.

On January 23 a Navy vehicle that was transporting defamatory posters against

opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka was arrested by the Pothuhera police. This
incident proved the claims that vote rigging was planned using security forces.
From the beginning of Election Day violence was reported from several regions. There
were incidents such as firing, bomb blasts, assaults and threatening. The objective of
this violence was to avert the people who supported the opposition parties from
coming into polling stations. In many places supporters and the polling agents of the
candidate Sarath Fonseka were threatened and dispelled. Illegal propaganda
campaigns were carried out around polling centres all over the country and our
monitors reported 491 such incidents that can be considered as seriously disturbing
the election process.

The police did not attempt to prevent unlawful activities that affected the election
process. Especially they turned a blind eye to illegal propaganda as well as violence
against opposition political parties by the ruling party politicians or supporters.
Incidents took place in the North which caused serious impact and a large number of
people were prevented from voting.

Serious incidents were reported from Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Vavuniya districts. Bomb
attacks, shooting and burning of Tyres were used to terrify the people in these areas
and prevent their voting. Four heavy blasts were reported and these incidents
seriously disturbed the election process. People had to travel to polling centres where
it took several hours to reach from Jaffna or Vavuniya. It is clear that this was a
planned sabotage that prevented them from voting. There were over 90,000
registered voters in the Kilinochchi district. But only six buses were provided for them
and as a result only 6566 got the opportunity to cast their vote.

There were around 90,000 persons eligible for voting in the Internally Displaced
Person camps in the Vavuniya. However, only around 17,000 of them got the

Secretary, Campaign for Democracy in Sri Lanka – Australia, P.O Box 2240 Fountain Gate 3805
Email: democracy@ozemail.com.au

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 CAMPAIGN
CAMPAIGN FOR
FOR DEMOCRACY
DEMOCRACY IN
IN SRILANKA
SRILANKA -AUSTRALIA
-AUSTRALIA

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,yq;ifapy; FbAupikia gyg;gLj;Jk-mT];jpNuypah;

opportunity to vote. All these incidents clearly demonstrate that the voting rights of
the people in the North were purposely violated.

Post election period

The election results were announced on the morning of January 27 and from the
evening a wave of post election violence started against opposition party activists
and supporters. Three persons were killed and over 20 persons were injured from
post election violence. The Police failed to control the post election violence and
establish law and order. The persons responsible for violence including killings have
not been arrested. In some cases police arrested the victims and released the
accused.

The security forces' on 09.02.2010 arrested Gen Sarath Fonseka from his office
building late at night and dragged him by his hands and feet. The thugs of the
government and police brutally attacked protestors on 10.02.2009 at several cities
around the island. They were all peaceful demonstrations protesting against the
abduction of General Sarath Fonseka.

The suppression of independent media continues in Sri Lanka. Also we have

information that the government is planning to block the internet and proscribe news
web sites.

Meanwhile government has gazetted five open prisons that can be detained over
12,000 prisoners. This is a surprising move and after defeating the terrorism there is
no such need of new prisons in the country. We suspect that this move is aimed at
suppressing opposition political parties and that the government is heading towards
a dictatorship.

We need your assistance to reverse the anti-democratic moves of the government of

Sri Lanka and ensure the freedom of the people.

Secretary,

_______________________________

Campaign for Democracy in Sri Lanka - Australia

Secretary, Campaign for Democracy in Sri Lanka – Australia, P.O Box 2240 Fountain Gate 3805
Email: democracy@ozemail.com.au