<p>An eminent group of Sinhala Buddhist monks issued a statement this week, calling on Sri Lankans to vote for a presidential candidate who will preserve the unitary status of the island and "defeat all forces that are attempting to divide this land".</p>

<p>At least 50 Sri Lankan officials deployed to a polling centre in Royal College, Colombo have been hospitalised due to food poisoning.</p> <p>Over 150,000 officials have been deployed to 12,600 polling booths and nearly 50 counting centres across the country.</p> <p>Approximately, 15.9 million eligible voters will take to the polls this Saturday.</p> <p>Read more from the Straight's Time <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/food-poisoning-hits-sri-la…">here</a>.</p>

More than 60,000 Sri Lankan police officers have been deployed ahead of tomorrow’s presidential polls, as security is ramped up across the island.

A total of 60,175 police officers will be deployed, alongside 8,080 Civil Defence Force personnel.

Tens of thousands of Sri Lankan soldiers are already stationed across the Tamil North-East, which remains highly militarised since the end of the armed conflict more than a decade ago.

So far, at least 90 people have been arrested over crimes reportedly linked to the election.

<p>In the southern province of Hambantota, a man has been arrested after 58 false ballot papers were found in his van.</p> <p>The man is a resident of Molakepu pathana in Tissamaharama.</p> <p>Police have told reporters that each ballot paper was found with a remark on the bottom that was meant for the awareness of the voter.</p> <p>Investigations into the matter are still ongoing.</p>

A former major fundraiser for the Obama campaign that was paid more than US$6.5 million by the Sri Lankan government to lobby US officials is now facing charges of tax evasion and failing to declare his work for Colombo.

Imaad Shah Zuberi is accused of violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act and making illegal campaign contributions, which included funnelling money in an attempt to influence US elections.

Of the estimated US$ 6.5 million paid by Sri Lanka to Zuberi, US$ 5.65 million is thought to have been spent on personal uses.

The former head of Sri Lanka’s army has predicted that attacks on Muslims will resume after Saturday’s presidential elections, in a stark warning last week.

Mahesh Senanayake, who is himself running as a candidate in the presidential elections, warned that “extremists” had backed one of the presidential candidates and would continue harassing and attacking Muslims once the elections had taken place this weekend.

"I am talking with a sense of responsibility,” Senanayake told a civil society audience in Colombo last week. 

 

Lasantha Wijeratne, a journalist and writer, was attacked on Thursday after he had published a book entitled “Wasteful Development and Corruption”, which was critical of Sri Lanka’s opposition candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Speaking to reporters his wife, Tharaka Nanayakkara, told reporters “Four men broke into the house and stabbed him in the arm after holding a pistol to his wife's head”. Before leaving they also destroyed the furniture. 

Wijeratne had sent a copy of his book to the New Democratic Front candidate Sajith Premadasa prior to the attack.

No matter what the result of Sri Lanka’s presidential election this weekend, neither of the leading candidates will meet Tamil demands for equal rights and accountability, writes journalist J S Tissainayagam in an article for the Asian Correspondent on Friday.

Ahead of tomorrow’s polls, Tissainayagam says that “the choice for the Tamils is between an unsympathetic candidate and an apathetic candidate”.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has slammed a report on Sri Lanka’s Hiru News, which alleges that there has been a legal case filed against the part for “attempted secession”, as “irresponsible journalism” and denied all such claims.

The report, which comes a day before Sri Lanka’s presidential elections, claimed that the TNA was attempting to create a separate state for Tamils.

“There was no such agreement with anyone providing for the division of the country,” said the TNA in a tweet today. “This is irresponsible journalism at its worst.”

Nearly 300 activists, lawyers, academics, clergy, journalists and civil society organisations signed a statement condemning the ‘threats, harassment and reprisals’ against prominent human rights lawyer and senior lecturer at Jaffna University Kumaravadivel Guruparan.