S. Lanka Religious, UN demand end to election violence

(January 22, 2010) Sri Lanka’s Catholic religious leaders have called for an end to election violence as the country counts down to next week’s presidential poll. Four people have already been killed in attacks leading up to the Jan. 26 vote in which President Mahinda Rajapaksa's main challenger is former army chief Sarath Fonseka. “People should make choices without pressure and intimidation,” said Sister Bernadette Fernando, executive secretary of the Conference of Major Religious Superiors (CMRS). She appealed to all concerned to “conduct campaign activities in strict compliance with election law.” Members of CMRS and the Oblate-run Centre for Society and Religion (CSR) in Colombo have written to the state president and the elections chief to demand the safeguarding of voters’ rights for the presidential elections on Jan. 26. CSR director Father Rohan de Silva noted that intimidation and attacks on supporters of rival candidates and their offices were increasing. “We appealed to the state president and election commissioner to halt the illegal use of public property and to safeguard the rights and interests of voters,” Father de Silva told UCA News. In the latest development, an explosion on Friday hit the home of a financier of Fonseka, causing damage to property but harming no one. Earlier on Wednesday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced concern over growing election-related violence in Sri Lanka, and called on parties and their supporters to abide by the electoral laws and rules, and avoid provocative actions both during and after the election period.