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.

References

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)

Attachments

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.

Additional Sources Consulted

Asian Survey [Berkeley, CA]. Monthly. 1993 to present.

AsiaWeek [Hong Kong]. Weekly. 1993 to present.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Yearly. 1993.

Current History [Philadelphia]. Monthly. 1993 to present.

DIRB "Amnesty: Sri Lanka" country file. 1994.

DIRB country file. 1994.

DIRB Indexed Media Review. "Sri Lanka." 1993 to present.

Encyclopedia of the Third World. 1992.

The Europa World Year Book. Yearly. 1994.

Foreign Broadcast International Service (FBIS) Reports. Daily. 1993 to present.

Inform: Sri Lanka Information Monitor [Colombo]. Current Situation. Monthly. 1994.

Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge]. Monthly. 1994.

Sri Lanka: A Country Study. 1970.

The Sri Lankan Monitor [London]. Monthly. 1993 to present.

World Encyclopedia of Police Forces and Penal Systems. 1989.

On-line search of media sources.