Basil Rajapaksa, the National Organizer of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) announced that those who left the party during the Yahapalana government would be welcomed back to the party but would be held at a political distance, as parliamentary polls closed earlier today. 

Sri Lanka’s Police Media Division Director, SSP Jaliya Senaratne, has told reporters that police officers are permitted to use firearms during the election period “even in the event of a death”.

Tamils across the North-East took to the polls amidst heavy Sri Lankan military presence today, as voting began in Sri Lanka’s parliamentary elections.

The Tamil homeland in the North-East has registered a sizeable turnout, so far, with all districts registering over 50% turnout as of 17.00.

Photograph via Centre for Monitoring Election Violence 

Voters registered at the Nedunthivu polling station in Kayts, Jaffna have been waiting for hours for the boat service to travel to the polling station, the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) reported. 

Deepika Udagama, Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission in Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has put forward her resignation on Monday, two days before the parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka..

In preparation for today’s parliamentary elections, ballot boxes were taken to polling stations in districts across the North-East under heavy security and military presence. 

There was the presence of police and Special Task Force (STF) officers during the election preparations in the districts of Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Mannar.

Jaffna

Sri Lanka Podujana Perumana Party’s Triconmalee candidate MP Punchinilame, said that “should voters not vote for him, the next and only option for them is to vote for TNA leader Sampanthan” during his election campaign in the North-East.

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Over 69,000 Sri Lankan police officers have been deployed for election duties today, whilst it was announced that military personnel will be deployed in the Northern and Eastern provinces as parliamentary polls opened this morning. 

Tributes have been paid to a 20-year-old British Tamil artist who was killed whilst taking part in a charity cycle ride from London to Brighton, attempting to raise money for those affected by the conflict in Yemen.

Pathushan Sutharsan, from Morden in South London, was taking part in the 120km cycle when he was involved in a collision with a tipper lorry on July 22. Though paramedics and an air ambulance were deployed, he was pronounced dead on the scene.

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Jaffna candidate, Paranirupasingham Varatharajasingham, also known as Vinnan, assured that he will get justice for his party’s “direct involvement” in the “wiping out of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)” and “nullification of the Tamil freedom struggle.”