UPFA claims polls timed ahead of UN report

The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) says?the August 17 Parliament election was timed to take place before the report on Sri Lanka by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights?(OHCHR) is?released.

Former UPFA Parliamentarian Dullas Alahapperuma said that the report on Sri Lanka is expected to pose a threat to Sri Lanka.

He claimed?that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had wanted the Parliamentary election to be held before August 21 when the report will be handed over to President Maithripala Sirisena.

The report,?Alahapperuma says, is expected to accuse some officials and individuals of war crimes and that this had been confirmed by former Norwegian peace envoy Erik Solheim.

Alahapperuma?also accused US President Barack Obama of directing?Wickremesinghe in a manner which?challenges the unity of the people in Sri Lanka.

He said that the election manifesto of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which was released this week, will add to the threat to Sri Lanka’s National Security.

Alahapperuma said that the United National Party (UNP) and the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) must make its stand clear on the TNA manifesto.

“The bigger picture can be seen when all this is put together. This election is being used to cover the real picture,” he said.

In its election manifesto released in Jaffna this week, the TNA said that the Tamil people are entitled to self-determination in keeping with United Nations International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, both of which Sri Lanka has accepted and acceded to.

TNA leader R. Sampanthan, reading out from the TNA election manifesto at the launch event, said that power sharing arrangements must continue to be established as it existed earlier in a unit of a merged Northern and Eastern Provinces based on a federal structure.

?The Tamil speaking Muslim historical inhabitants shall be entitled to be benificiaries of all power sharing arrangements to the North ? East. This will no way inflict any disability on any people. Devolution of power on the basis of shared sovereignty shall be over land, law and order and enforcement of the law so as to ensure the safety and security of the Tamil people,? the manifesto?said.

Alahapperuma says the UPFA is for a united Sri Lanka and this will be made clear in its election manifesto which will be released tomorrow.?(Colombo Gazette)