Violation of Regulation of Election Expenditure Act:

Penalties range from fines to civic disabilities

by Rathindra Kuruwita

The Election Commission of Sri Lanka (EC) has announced that police will take action against the candidates who contested last month’s general election but did not submit the campaign expenditure reports in violation of the Regulation of Election Expenditure Act.

The EC will hand over a list of such candidates to the police for legal action to be instituted against them, EC Chairman R. M. A. L. Rathnayake said yesterday.

According to the EC, about 949 out of 8,361 candidates who contested the general elections did not submit their campaign expenditure reports. They include 93 out of 527 National List nominees.

Rathnayake said the campaign expenditure reports submitted to the EC were displayed at the EC head office at Rajagiriya, the District Secretariats and Election Offices across the country.

Rohana Hettiarachchi, Executive Director of People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections, said about 80,000 candidates were expected to be in the local government election fray early next year, and the situation was likely to take a turn for the worse.

Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake has warned that the candidates who do not comply with the election laws run the risk of facing fines, imprisonment and civic disabilities for up to three years, if found guilty.

13 killed in road accidents on Saturday:

A large number of road accidents reported during the past several months have prompted the police to inspect buses to ascertain whether they are roadworthy.

Thirteen persons, including two youth, had lost their lives in road accidents reported in several areas on Saturday, according to police.

Those accidents occurred in Hatton, Marawila, Ambalantota, Gampola, Hettipola, Batticaloa, Mirihana, Kebithigollewa, and Seeduwa.

Acting Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya said investigations into several serious bus accidents had revealed that many buses were not roadworthy.

He said some drivers worked under the influence of liquor.

The police had launched random bus inspections across the country, the Acting IGP said, urging the public to report reckless driving to the police via 119 or 1997.

Weerasooriya said 2,243 Sri Lankans had lost their lives in road accidents between January 1 and December 13 this year. (RK)

By WM Wickremesinghe

Trincomalee Acting Magistrate Abdul Saleem has ordered that the 12-member crew of a boat that entered Sri Lankan waters with 103 Myanmar refugees on board be remanded. The crew will remain in custody until 31 Dec., as investigations are ongoing.

The refugees, including 25 children, were transferred to the Mirihana detention centre, where they are being held while authorities assess their situation. The group, primarily made up of Rohingya Muslims, was rescued by the Sri Lankan military and police in Mullaitivu on 19 Dec.

Chief Inspector R. A. J. S. Ranawira, Officer-in-Charge of the Trincomalee Harbour Police, presented an A report to the court, stating that the crew had committed a punishable offence. He also informed the court that the harbour police lacked the facilities to present the boat used for the transportation of the refugees as an exhibit. In response, the Acting Magistrate ordered the vessel be examined for illegal materials, and if found, it would be handed over to the Navy for further action.

The vessel carrying the refugees was spotted by fishermen near Mullivaikkal at dawn on 19 Dec. The Sri Lankan Army and Navy, including units from the 593 Infantry Brigade and 6 Sri Lanka National Guard, successfully intercepted and rescued the boat, bringing the refugees to the eastern port of Trincomalee. The refugees underwent medical examination before disembarking.

The Rohingya refugees, an ethnic Muslim group from Myanmar, often face persecution and have been fleeing their homeland for years. Many seek refuge in countries like Malaysia and Indonesia. The boat’s arrival in Sri Lanka comes after recent cyclonic weather, which may have pushed the vessel off course. Although the language barriers made it difficult to determine their intended destination, the Navy believes the refugees were headed elsewhere.

This is not the first instance of Rohingya refugees reaching Sri Lanka. In Dec 2022, a group was rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy in a similar manner.