News

602 out of 607 police stations engaged in election duties

Published

2 years ago

2024/08/28

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Six hundred and two out of 607 police stations in the country are engaged in election duties, acting police media spokesman, DIG Ruwan Gunasekera said yesterday.

“We have police stations in places like the Uda Maluwa, which have special tasks,” he said.

There are 45 police divisions. “We have established election monitoring centres in these 45 divisions and the 602 police stations. This was done as soon as the election was declared,” he said.

Gunasekera said these monitoring centres are entrusted with investigating election-related complaints. There are several grades of police stations in the country and based on the grade, the number of officers attached to a monitoring centre changes, he said.

“Roughly, five policemen are attached to each monitoring centre. There are 13,314 polling stations for the 21 September presidential election. Each polling booth requires at least two police officers. So on 20 and 21 September, we need about 27,000 policemen for polling booths alone. Altogether we need about 55,000 policemen for election duties,” he said.

Gunasekera said there are 39 presidential candidates, and all of them are given police protection. As soon as the election was declared, a committee was established to determine the level of security threat posed by each candidate and former presidents, he said. The committee is headed by the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security.

“Among candidates there are people who already receive police security, for example MPs. After nominations are signed, we assign a police detail to all candidates. We then conduct a threat assessment and if we feel some candidates need additional security, we will provide additional security. A representative for each candidate is in touch with the above-mentioned committee. If a candidate is holding a meeting somewhere in the country, that representative can inform the committee. The committee will inform senior policemen in that area, and they will provide necessary security. By the fourth week of August, we have provided security to 34 rallies,” he said.

Gunasekera added the police are now flooded with requests to use public announcement systems during political meetings. These licenses are given based on several criteria, he said. “You need a letter from the owner of the public address systems, a letter from the owner of the land in which a meeting is held. Also, these public announcement systems can only be loud enough for the people in a demarcated area.

The public announcement systems can be used only till 10 pm from Monday to Thursday, until 1 am on Friday and Saturday and until midnight on Sunday. We also do not authorize meetings in government owned lands or near offices or rallies of other political parties,” he said.

The police spokesman added that thousands of election offices are springing up across the country. Section 73 of the Presidential Elections Act No 15 of 1981 sets the guidelines on election offices, he said. There are 22 electoral districts in the country, and one office can be maintained in each district, he said. These are called notified central election offices. “You can also have a branch election office in each polling district. A polling district is an area where a polling booth is held. The residence of a candidate can also be an election office,” he said.

Gunasekera said that posters, banners and cut-outs are allowed only if they fulfil specific criteria. For example, these can be displayed on the motor vehicle that the candidate travels in. These can also be displayed within the premises of election offices. “You can also display posters, banners and cut-outs in the area where an election meeting is held,” he added.

All News Advertisement

News

Geneva takes up Sallay’s case and govt. ignores opportunity to answer accusations

Published

16 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

Suresh Sallay

The government has chosen not to respond to questions raised by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) regarding the detention of retired Maj. Gen. Suresh Sallay in connection with the ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the ex-official in late February this year. The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers have jointly raised the issue on 20 July, 2026.

Drawing attention of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to what they called alleged arbitrary detention of Sallay, former Director General of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) and former Director of Military Intelligence (DMI), under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), as well as allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment while in custody, resulting in the grave deterioration of his health, and imminent risks of retaliation through further torture and ill-treatment resulting in irreparable harm, should he be released from hospital and returned to custody, the UN sought the government explanation with a 60-day period.

The UN has stated: “This communication, and any response received from your Excellency’s Government, will be made public via the communications reporting website at the 60 days mark. Should your Excellency’s Government respond within 60 days, both the communication and the response, may be published before the 60 days mark. The communications and responses

will also be made available in the subsequent periodic report to be presented to the Human Rights Council.”

In the absence of the government’s response, the UN posted the letter, dated 20 July, 2026, addressed to President Dissanayake. The full letter can be accessed https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=31125

News

Section of wartime KKS High Security Zone vacated to facilitate economic development in the area

Published

16 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

The Army, last week, vacated an area, within the wartime high security zone in the Jaffna peninsula. The Defence Ministry said that an extent of 187.56 acres of land, belonging to the Cement Corporation in Kankesanthurai, Jaffna, has been released by the military. The released land, located in Grama Niladhari Division J/233, Kankesanthurai West, within the Valikamam North (Tellippalai) Divisional Secretariat Division, had been utilised by the Sri Lanka Army since the middle of 1997.

The release of the 187.56-acre extent forms part of the initiative to make State land available for the proposed investment zone in Kankesanthurai, thereby facilitating future investment and economic development in the area.

News

Lawyer lodges complaint against Govt. Printer, Media Ministry Secy.

Published

16 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

A complaint has been lodged with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau against the Government Printer and the Secretary to the Ministry of Media regarding the online release of falsified documents bearing a forged Speaker’s certificate.

Attorney-at-Law Aruna Laksiri has lodged a complaint with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau requesting legal action against the Government Printer of the Department of Government Printing (No. 118, Dr. Danister de Silva Mawatha, Colombo 08), Prasanna Jayaratne, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media (Asidisi Medura, 163, Kirulapone Mawatha, Polhengoda, Colombo 05), Dr. Anil Jasinghe.

The complaint alleges the commission of offences by forging and uploading falsified documents online using a forged Speaker’s certification, failure to perform statutory duties, and misappropriation of public property.

The complaint states that a copy of the English translation of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was downloaded and printed from the official website of the Government Printing Department (www.documents.gov.lk), which operates under the Ministry of Mass Media. On its outer cover and on page 1, the text “certified on 25th of September, 2026” is inscribed inside brackets.

The complaint pointed out that the Speaker has certified an English translation. Under Articles 23, 79, 83, and 80 of the Constitution, Parliament enacts laws and the Speaker certifies bills strictly in the Sinhala and Tamil languages; under the Constitution, therefore the Speaker cannot apply such certification to an English translation.