Sri Lanka steps up security for final vote rallies
Colombo, Sri Lanka - Police stepped up security across Sri Lanka on Wednesday over fears of violence on the final day of campaigning for the fiercely contested presidential election, officials said.
Elite police commandos reinforced police as the two frontrunners in Saturday’s vote Sajith Premadasa and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa held rival rallies in and around Colombo.
“There are reports of possible violence,” a senior police official said. “Additional strength has been deployed in vulnerable areas. Sniffer dogs and explosive detectors will also be used at final rallies.”
Premadasa (52) is the son of assassinated president Ranasinghe Premadasa who was targeted by a suicide bomber during a May Day rally in Colombo in 1993. Rajapaksa, brother of former strongman president Mahinda Rajapaksa, narrowly escaped a suicide bomb attack in 2006 blamed on Tamil Tiger separatist rebels.
While ethnic tensions have eased, this year the country was rocked by coordinated extremist bombings on Easter Sunday that killed at least 269 people.
During the election campaign, there were no further such attacks but the independent Election Commission said there were nearly 30 incidents of violence involving members of rival parties.
Private poll monitor, the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) said it was peaceful compared to the 2015 election when there were more bomb attacks and shootings.
However, PAFFREL chief Rohana Hettiarachchi said there were more incidents of hate speech, disinformation and intimidation on social media as well as radio and television.
Campaigning should stop at midnight on Wednesday (1830 GMT) allowing a two-day cooling-off period before Saturday’s ballot, with results expected on Sunday.