Families of disappeared in Vavuniya marked 1000 days of their roadside protest today, the day before Sri Lanka goes to the polls to vote in a new president.

The families slammed the main presidential candidates for ignoring their campaign and vowed to continue their struggle regardless of who was voted into power.

Sri Lankan police manhandled and dragged a Tamil politician as they arrested him for staging a peaceful protest outside a government office.

A former TNA candidate for the Northern Provincial Council and campaign co-ordinator for the presidential bid of M K Sivajilingam, M. Thambirasa was arrested while carrying out a hunger strike in front of the Jaffna District Secretariat calling for the resignation of election commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya.

According to the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), an estimated Rs. 3,108 million has been spent by five candidates for their presidential election campaigning between October 14 to November 10, with Gotabaya campaign spending the most.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has spent the most, accounting for 49 per cent of the total estimated cost and spending an approximate Rs. 1,518 million. This is followed by Sajith Premadasa’s New Democratic Front, which accounts for 46% and has spent approximately, Rs. 1,422 million.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa blamed the incumbent government for the Easter Sunday bombings stating that those who “diluted the intelligence service” must be held responsible. 

These comments were delivered during a rally at Wennapuwa on 12 November, where he blamed rival political motives for a lack of security. During his speech he stated;

“It is unfortunate that political agendas resulted in a country where there is no national security”.

The Guardian writes that a clear and present danger is posed by the return of a Rajapaksa presidency, in its editorial on Thursday. 

In their article, they note that Gotabaya has been subject to lawsuits relating to torture, fraud and corruption. They also note his time as Defence Secretary during the final stage of the armed conflict where an estimated 40,000 Tamil civilians were slaughtered in its final months.

The Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) called on the Tamil people to “reject” the upcoming Sri Lankan presidential election in a statement last week, stating that both leading parties had rejected Tamil demands.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa has openly rejected Tamil demands, whilst Sajith Premadasa has ignored them entirely said the TNPF.

<p>Current president, Maithripala Sirisena, freed 267 prisoners over the age of 65, following the outrage sparked by the pardon of the killer of a Swedish teenager.</p> <p>Earlier this week, inmates at Welikada prison, Sri Lanka’s biggest high security prison, demanded their freedom after Sirisena pardoned Jude Jayamaha, who was sentenced to death in 2005 over the murder of Yvonne Jonsson.</p> <p>In order to reduce the outrage prompted by Jayamaha’s release, Sirisena issued a pardon for 267 prisoners who were serving time for offences other than rape and murder, France 24 reports.</p>

The home of Sajith Premadasa supporter was reportedly attacked with petrol bombs on Sunday night, with less than a week to go until Sri Lanka’s presidential election.

<p>Alan Keenan, project director for Sri Lanka at the International Crisis Group (ICG) warns that the return of a Gotabaya presidency has already heightened fears amongst minorities and will lead to&nbsp;losses in terms of "reconciliation and accountability for atrocities and human rights violations".</p> <p>Gotabaya Rajapaksa was the Defense Secretary during the final stages of the war which witnessed a litany of human rights violations as well as hundreds of people surrendering&nbsp;to the army during the final stages of conflict to never be seen again. Rajapaksa has been accused of being implicated in the deaths of dozens of journalists as well as their exile.</p>

The former chief minister of the Northern province stated his party was offered three ministerial posts in Sri Lanka’s cabinet, in exchange for the support of one of the leading candidates ahead of the island’s presidential elections on Saturday.