Sun, Jun 2, 2013, 11:31 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.![]()
Jun 02, Colombo: The major Tamil party of Sri Lanka Tamil National Alliance (TNA) accuses the government of attempting to reduce the number of Tamil votes in the Province before the elections to Northern provincial Council scheduled for September this year.
TNA parliamentarian Mavai Senathirajah has said that the government is establishing new villages in the province and settling Sinhala and Muslim people while eliminating the voting rights of 180,000 Tamil people who are still not being resettled and living in other areas with relatives or in camps.
At a central committee meeting of the TNA's main party Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) held in Kilinochchi recently the MP told BBC that about 100,000 displaced Tamils are living with the relatives and another 80,000 are living in India and those Tamils will not have the opportunity to vote at the elections.
Sri Lanka's Justice Minister recently received approval from the cabinet to bring in draft legislation to amend the Election law to allow displaced people from the Northern Province now temporarily residing in other parts of Sri Lanka to get them registered as voters on submission of satisfactory proof.
The central committee has decided to discuss this issue with the governments of Sri Lanka and India and the Election Commissioner before the elections, the MP further told BBC.
The party has postponed taking a decision on nominating a candidate for the chief minister post and how to make the nomination until the elections are announced for the Province.
Jun 02, Colombo: The major Tamil party of Sri Lanka Tamil National Alliance (TNA) accuses the government of attempting to reduce the number of Tamil votes in the Province before the elections to Northern provincial Council scheduled for September this year.
TNA parliamentarian Mavai Senathirajah has said that the government is establishing new villages in the province and settling Sinhala and Muslim people while eliminating the voting rights of 180,000 Tamil people who are still not being resettled and living in other areas with relatives or in camps.
At a central committee meeting of the TNA's main party Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) held in Kilinochchi recently the MP told BBC that about 100,000 displaced Tamils are living with the relatives and another 80,000 are living in India and those Tamils will not have the opportunity to vote at the elections.
Sri Lanka's Justice Minister recently received approval from the cabinet to bring in draft legislation to amend the Election law to allow displaced people from the Northern Province now temporarily residing in other parts of Sri Lanka to get them registered as voters on submission of satisfactory proof.
The central committee has decided to discuss this issue with the governments of Sri Lanka and India and the Election Commissioner before the elections, the MP further told BBC.
The party has postponed taking a decision on nominating a candidate for the chief minister post and how to make the nomination until the elections are announced for the Province.