Dokument #1343312
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Autor)
The following information was provided in a
8 December 1994 telephone interview with the executive secretary
for the NGO Forum for Sri Lanka at the British Refugee Council in
London. He was in Sri Lanka for the August 1994 elections and spent
1989-1991 there as a representative of the British Quaker Peace and
Service.
In August 1994, there were fewer arrests by
the police of SLFP members than in the past. Election monitors
concluded that the parliamentary elections were conducted freely
and fairly, although there were reported cases of violence and
intimidation between supporters of the various political parties.
With the exception of a few areas, the police behaved very
professionally. Some partisan behaviour on the part of the police
was reported, however it was not widespread (ibid.). The source
recommended consulting the report produced by the Movement for Free
and Fair Elections titled Interim Report on the Sri Lanka
Parliamentary Elections of August 16 1994 for actual examples
of the involvement of members of the police in electoral violence
(ibid.).
The 23 August 1994 AFP attachment states
that the state ministry for defence invited complaints against
policemen who "allegedly supported" the defeated UNP. According to
the executive secretary of the NGO Forum for Sri Lanka, since the
SLFP/PA government came to power, some senior police officers have
been replaced and have been transferred from rural areas back to
the Colombo headquarters (ibid.).
The attached Interim Report on the Sri
Lanka Parliamentary Elections of August 16, 1994 provides
examples of the involvement of members of the police in electoral
violence, intimidation and corruption. It should be noted that,
according to this source, in many of the cases the violence was
directed towards People's Alliance (PA) supporters.
For further information on the electoral
violence and on the participation of members of the police force in
the violence and intimidation of voters, please consult
Parliamentary General Elections 1994: Special Report: Polls
Related Violence, written by INFORM (July 1994), which is
available at your Regional Documentation Centre. The February 1994
attachment from The Sri Lanka information Monitor (INFORM)
provides information on the interference of the security forces in
the electoral process of the North-East election campaigns set for
1 March 1994.
This response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does
not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular
claim to refugee status or asylum.
Agence France Presse (AFP) [Paris]. 23
August 1994. "Colombo Probes Corrupt Police, Moves to Disarm
Politicians." (DIRB Indexed Media Review [Ottawa], 23-29
Aug. 1994, Vol.8, No. 8)
NGO Forum for Sri Lanka, British Refugee
Council in London, UK. 8 December 1994. Telephone interview with
the executive secretary.
Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation
International Service [Colombo, in English]. 20 August 1994.
"Kumaratunga Outlines Policy Objectives in Address."
(FBIS-NES-94-162 22 Aug. 1994, 56-57)
Agence France Presse (AFP) [Paris]. 23
August 1994. "Colombo Probes Corrupt Police, Moves to Disarm
Politicians." (DIRB Indexed Media Review [Ottawa], 23-29
Aug. 1994, Vol.8, No. 8)
AsiaWeek [Hong Kong]. 26 May
1993. "Fast Action Needed: Sri Lanka's New President Has a Window
of Opportunity," p. 24.
International Herald Tribune. 3
August 1994. James Manor. "In Sri Lanka, the Majority May Have Had
Enough of the War." (NEXIS)
Movement for Free and Fair Elections. 4
October 1994. Interim Report on the Sri Lanka Parliamentary
Elections of August 16, 1994.
Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation
International Service [Colombo, in English]. 20 August 1994.
"Kumaratunga Outlines Policy Objectives in Address."
(FBIS-NES-94-162 22 Aug. 1994, 56-57)
The Sri Lanka Information Monitor
(INFORM) [Colombo]. February 1994. Situation Report.
Colombo: INFORM, pp. 9-10.
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1992.
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Yearly. 1994.
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