Canadian Tamil Congress Calls For Free and Fair Presidential Elections in Sri Lanka

January 3, 2015

Canadian Tamil Congress Calls For Free and Fair Presidential Elections in Sri Lanka

With merely days left until Sri Lanka’s much anticipated presidential election, Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) urges all Tamils on the island to exercise their democratic right to vote. In order to facilitate an accurate and meaningful voting process, CTC requests the international community to ensure free and fair elections.

Noting the upcoming elections are the first in which an incumbent is seeking a third term, Pakiyasothy Saravanamuttu, the Executive Director of Centre for Policy Alternatives, in an interview with the Colombo Mirror, cautioned against the use of the military to suppress voter turnout in the North and East of Sri Lanka.

“Over the past few days, Tamil leaders in Sri Lanka, including TNA Leader Mr. Sampanthan, Mr. Mano Ganesan and Mannar Bishop Rayappu Joseph have all urged people to vote in large numbers and we must help strengthen them in their efforts”, said David Poopalapillai, National Spokesperson for the Canadian Tamil Congress.

CTC remains concerned about restrictions on travel to Northern Sri Lanka and the need for Defence Ministry clearance for foreign observers. CTC believes the recent requirement imposed upon international observers visiting to monitor the elections is a tactic that will be used by the Government to hinder a fair election process. We therefore call upon the international community to send a large number of observers, in an effort to attain greater transparency.

“With previous experiences of violence and intimidation leading up to elections in Sri Lanka, we stress the importance of having a free and fair Presidential Election on January 8th, 2015,” said Poopalapillai.

The Canadian Tamil Congress is calling on all Tamil Canadians to actively urge their relatives and friends in Sri Lanka to vote en masse in Sri Lanka’s presidential election scheduled to take place on January 8th, 2015.

For more information, please contact CTC at (416) 240-0078.