Sri Lanka to provide highest security for polls in east district

The Sri Lankan government is to undertake the largest ever manpower deployment in the history of local government polls for the eastern Batticaloa district which will hold local council elections on March 10, said the official Daily News on Tuesday.

This will be the first local elections in the former rebel-controlled area after a lapse of 14 years. The newspaper quoted police sources as saying that 6,425 police officers are to be deployed for duty on the election day, out of which 1,800 officers are from outstations, in accordance with a request by several political parties.

Five officers are to be deployed to provide security for every polling station, in addition to mobile patrols which operate 24 hours a day. Police will also set up roadblocks for all the 26 counting centers in addition to special security arrangements to transport ballot boxes on election day.

Election authorities have planned to set up 285 polling stations to cater to 270,471 registered voters in addition to special arrangements for displaced voters numbering 11,000. Batticaloa consists of 12 local councils, out of which nine will hold elections on March 10.

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