(Lanka-e-News- 08.Jan.2015, 9.00PM)
To:
Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General, United Nations
Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, UN Human Rights High Commissioner
Federica Mogherini, Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union
Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary-General, Commonwealth
We, a concerned group of individuals, request your urgent attention to the emerging possibility of a violent and suppressive situation in Sri Lanka in relation to the presidential election which is to be held on the 8th January 2015.
On 6th January, speaking to the press the Commissioner of Elections, Mr. Mahinda Deshapriya, expressed his disappointment at the increasing election violence. Election officials themselves have been at the receiving end of violence allegedly unleashed by the politicians belonging to the ruling party.
Directives issued by the Commissioner of Elections have been completely ignored by the state controlled media institutions. These media institutions were bound to provide a fair coverage to all presidential candidates.
Three major election monitoring bodies, Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) and Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), have stated that on many instances the Police has been partial towards the incumbent President.
Furthermore, on the 6th January, CMEV stated that misuse of government resources by the ruling party to promote their presidential election candidate has reached unprecedented heights. This is also a fact established by the Programme for Protection of Public Resources (PPPR), an initiative of the Transparency International of Sri Lanka (TISL).
CMEV also expressed its concerns that the military deployments in the North could have an adverse impact on the voter turnout.
There are also reports that small scale military deployments have taken place in Colombo and some outstation cities allegedly to protect government institutions.
Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations, Kamalesh Sharma, the European Union and some International Human Rights Organisations have expressed the need to hold the upcoming presidential election in a free, transparent and credible manner.
We earnestly call upon you and your organisation to be vigilant on the developing situation in Sri Lanka during the next few days and also to take immediate action to prevent any harmful trends that may obstruct the free expression of the democratic will of the people of Sri Lanka.
Yours sincerely,
Ajith Rajapaksa Australia
Ajith Dasanayaka Switzerland
Amintha Coonghe Canada
Arjuna Ranawana, Canada
Charles Antonidas UK
Cheran Rudhramoorthy Canada
Fauzer Mahroof UK
Jagath J Edirisinghe Australia
Kapila Karunaratna Australia
Kshama Ranawana Kshama
Kishan Rajapkasa Germany
Lionel Bopage Australia
N. Shanmugaratnam Norway
Padmi Liyanage Germany
Poddala Jayantha USA
Priyantha Gunarathna Nepal
Ranjith Weerasinghe Australia
Ranjith Henayakaarchchi Germany
Rasika Manobuddhi Perera Canada
Ravi Chandralal USA
Sandaruwan Senadheera UK
Senaka Wattegededata Germany
Sunanda Deshapriya Switzerland
S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole USA
Subramania.Sritharan USA
Udaya Tennakoon Switzerland
Vakeesan kanapathippillai, Denmark
Verginia Lalantha Jansz Canada
W. J.Ayeshmantha Canada
Contact:
Post Box: 040141
I0061
Berlin, Germany
Email: [email protected]
---------------------------
by (2015-01-08 16:37:03)
Read 15786 Times
Leave a Reply
0 discussion on this news
