COLOMBO, Dec 5: Sri Lanka’s moderate Tamil parties and election monitors on Wednesday demanded fresh polls in the embattled northern and eastern regions where nearly 100,000 people were prevented from casting their ballots in the general election.

Four Tamil parties and election monitoring groups, including a European Union observer mission, condemned the Sri Lankan government’s decision to close checkpoints which prevented civilians in rebel-held areas from reaching polling stations.

The four-party Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said the closure of checkpoints in Vavuniya, Trincomalee and Batticaloa prevented at least 100,000 Tamils reaching government-held towns to cast their ballots for a new parliament.

There are no polling stations in areas under the control of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and voters have to travel through army checkpoints to gain access to voting booths in government-held towns.

“This is an open, calculated violation of the right of franchise of the Tamil people,” TNA spokesman Abbu Yussuf said. “We have asked the Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake to intervene and have a re-poll.”

The main military checkpoint at Piramanalankulam in the northern Wanni district was shut, stopping some 60,000 people from voting.

Two other checkpoints were closed in the eastern coastal district of Batticaloa, blocking another 20,000 Tamils, while in the Trincomalee district a further 20,000 could not pass through a checkpoint which was shut.

The EU Election Observers mission expressed “serious concern” and said it would take up the matter with the elections commissioner.

The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) accused the government of stifling democracy by keeping out Tamils.

“The government is using the foulest of means to win this election,” said V. Anandasangari, the vice president of the TULF.

In a one-paragraph statement, the defence ministry said the decision to close the checkpoints was taken to prevent infiltration by Tamil Tigers.

“There were credible intelligence reports to the effect that the LTTE was planning to enter cleared (government-held) areas today in the guise of voters to create violence in order to disrupt the free and fair elections,” the statement said.

Military sources acknowledged that a large number of Tamils were prevented from voting, giving an advantage to a pro-government Tamil party while the pro-opposition TNA which is popular in rebel-held areas suffered.

Tamil Tiger rebels, who are fighting for an independent homeland in the north and east of the country, are not contesting the election.

With opinion polls indicating a hung parliament as the most likely outcome of Wednesday’s election, minority parties will play a key role in the formation of the new government.

POL MONITOR: The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) called on the election commissioner, Dayananda Disanayaka, to order repolling in the areas where the electoral system had been abused.