Sri Lankan election violence 'results in 4 deaths'
20/01/2010
Violence occurring due to the forthcoming elections in Sri Lanka has claimed the lives of four people and injured many others, it has been reported.
Now, election monitoring groups are expressing concerns that the clashes may threaten the progress of the ballot, which opens on January 26th, reported IRINNews.org.
So far, three people have been killed in the district of Kurunegala, all within 72 hours of one another.
Additionally, a 60-year-old woman died in Hungama while on a bus destined for a campaign rally in support of President Mahinda Rajapaksa's former army chief and challenger Sarath Fonseka.
"Ordinary people don’t want to get hurt casting a vote [...] if thousands begin to feel like that, their choice will not be reflected in the final result," the news provider quotes Keerthi Thenakoon, the executive director of Campaign for Free and Fair Elections, as saying.
This news follows comments made on the political stability of the country by MIA last week - a singer of Sri Lankan origin.
She called the New York Times' decision to name the country as one of 2010's hottest travel destinations a huge mistake and posted accompanying photographs on her Twitter account.
Written by Simon Bassett
