Life, for many of the families here has been about moving from one camp to another. Many came in vans to vote at a school in Mallakam, about half an hour away from Jaffna town. “I am voting just so that I can return to my own place, my home. These elections are my only hope,” Ms. Rajamani said.
It was the sixth month of 1990, M. Sivanandavel recalls. “We left home, moved to the Vanni and later returned to our IDP camps only to find that the Army had taken our land for the High Security Zone. After so many years of life in a camp, the only thing I ask for is the opportunity to return home,” said the voter who was also at Mallakam. Younger voters like S. Kavitha (26), a resident of the Sabapathipillai camp, also nurtured similar hope.
Meanwhile, there were reports of an attempt to shoot at the vehicle of a contestant of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Sajanthan, a lawyer near Chavakacheri, a big town in Jaffna Peninsula. “I heard the gun shots from behind. My supporters said they spotted a few men in Army uniform,” Mr. Sajanthan told The Hindu .
However, military spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said the Army was not involved in any security duty on election day and were not posted in any of the areas.
Published - September 22, 2013 01:44 am IST
