Liquor given at several places as bribe for votes

Election monitors reported several incidents of liquor being distributed today?as bribes to voters for the Parliamentary election.

The Campaign for a Free and Fair Election (CAFFE) said that in Badulla 67 people had been given liquor bottles yesterday to secure their votes by a certain candidate.

CAFFE Executive Director Keerthi Tenakoon said that the manager of the store who distributed the liquor and several others were arrested over incident.

Tenakoon said that incidents of liquor being distributed as a bribe for the election was also reported from Lindula and Nuwara Eliya today.

He said that in Puttalam, Matale and Kurunegala there were incidents were liquor had been distributed on a large scale to secure votes on election day.

Election monitors have also received reports of liquor being handed out from vehicles in Laggala, Keerthi Tenakoon said.

?There has been an increase in reports of liquor being distributed over the weekend to secure votes,? Tenakoon said.

He said there are also reports where the authorities had turned a blind eye to such incidents in some locations and did not arrest anyone.

Tenakoon said that so far the police had only acted in Badulla and arrested those involved in distrusting liquor as a bribe for the election. (Colombo Gazette)