Military forces of Sri Lanka will not be used for any election activities, its spokesman, Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya, has said.
Brigadier Wanigasooriya, however, said the Sri Lankan Navy will be used to transfer the votes of citizens living in islands off the mainland. He added that if due to some constraint aerial assistance was needed, then the Air Force will be utilized.
"Other than that there is no any participation of military personnel in the election," he said.
Less than 2000 security forces personnel have been deployed for duties not associated with the election, the Lanka Page and the Colombo Page web sites quoted him, as saying.
Over 70000 police officers have been deployed for election duties.
Security forces have been assigned only for duties the police had been doing formerly, Brigadier Wanigasooriya clarified.
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Meanwhile, opposition United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremasinghe has asked voters to exercise their franchise "silently, courageously and with a sense of pride."
Issuing a special statement, Wickremasinghe said no one can stop, coerce or in any other way wrest this right to vote away from the people.
"The people of our country will have yet another opportunity to exercise their democratic right to choose a leader of their choice. No one can stop, coerce or in any other way wrest this right away from them.
I request with all sincerity and with the greatest respect from all our voters that they proceed to their respective polling booths and exercise their franchise silently, courageously and with a sense of pride.
I also request that everyone, regardless of the candidate they voted for, celebrate the victory of democracy after the final results are announced in a spirit of friendship drawn from the commonality of shared citizenship in our fair land.
In particular, as the Leader of the Opposition, I request that you contribute to building a new and more wholesome political culture in our country by standing up to defend your neighbour who may have been at odds with you politically should the need arise.