Army stops 130,000 voters reaching polls

The Sri Lankan army has blocked some 130,000 minority Tamil voters from reaching the polls.

Military officials say rebels among the crowds might disrupt the election of a new Parliament on the island.

The key issue for the 12.4 million eligible voters is whether to intensify the 18-year war or to seek peace with the country's guerrillas.

Five people have been killed and three others died in political violence during the voting on Wednesday. This brings the number of election-related deaths to 50 since campaigning began on 21 October, independent poll observers say.

The independent Centre for Monitoring Election Violence says its monitors had reported armed gangs stuffing ballot boxes, snatching polling cards, shooting at voters, threatening to kill poll observers and using vehicles to block roads in front of polls.

Military spokesman Brigadier Sanath Karunaratne says the army had closed roads in Batticaloa in the east and Vavuniya in the north because of intelligence reports that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels would disrupt the election in the nation of 18.6 million people.

The action blocked access to polling stations for 130,000 Tamil voters, according to election officials and poll lists.

"This decision will disenfranchise many thousands of voters, which I believe will have a significant impact on the outcome in these electoral districts," said John Cushnahan, head of a 48-member team of European Union observers.

"This is daylight murder of democracy," said Tamil opposition candidate Joseph Pararajasingham in Batticaloa. He is demanding that the voting be cancelled in the affected districts when the army refused to reopen the roads.

But Brig Karunaratne says security took precedence over voter access: What would happen if they come and burn polling stations and kill people. Who would be blamed?" said the army military spokesman.