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Local bodies poll in Batticaloa after 14 years as plea is dismissed

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking postponement of elections to the local bodies’ in Batticaloa district. This paves the way for local bodies’ election to be held in the district on March 10 — after a gap of 14 years.

The Mahinda Rajapaksa government has promised to hold an election to the provincial council in the east. It has also promised to constitute an interim provincial council in the north, parts of which are under control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, pending restoration of normality.

The Batticaloa elections are being held under heavy security.

A number of civil rights organisations expressed reservations about the possibility of a free and fair election on the ground that unlawful groups continued to be armed in the district.

The Supreme Court directed the Inspector General of Police and the Defence Secretary to ensure a free and fair election.

It also asked them to disarm all unlawful armed groups.

The court has said that any irregularities in the conduct of the elections should be brought to the attention of the Election Commission.

Separately, Sri Lankan Air Force jets launched two separate sorties “at an identified LTTE underground artillery storage” north of Pooneryn in Kilinochchi district in the north amid claims by the military that a number of Tiger cadres were killed in continued fighting along the Forward Defence Lines (FDLs). “The LTTE underground facility was located 1.5 km north of Pooneryn. Pilots have confirmed the target was destroyed successfully,” the Media Centre for National Security reported.

In a report posted on its website, the LTTE alleged that four displaced civilians from Mannar who were travelling in a tractor-trailer to Thadchanamaruthamadhu came under a claymore attack by the SLA at 9 a.m. “All four were killed instantly,” it said.

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