The Jaffna branch of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) is actively engaged in getting membership forms signed by the resettled Vanni displaced persons in Jaffna on the pretext that the forms are to be used to get information about their children gone missing during the war and to give them relief food and other assistance, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, SLFP organiser for the districts of Jaffna and Vanni, Thilakumara Udugama said that so far 26,000 persons have enrolled themselves as members in SLFP.
Thousands of Vanni IDPs resettled in Jaffna stand in queue daily in front of the SLFP office located on Veambadi Veethi in Jaffna town.
These IDPs say that they had been called to submit forms to get information to find their missing children and to get other benefits such as food and employment.
The men in the SLFP office supply forms to the IDPs at the rate of 20 rupees per person and have them filled and signed.
The destitute IDPs without knowing that they are signing membership forms of SLFP do so thinking that it is necessary to get information about their missing children.
SLFP had opened 11 of its branches at various places in Jaffna peninsula where people had paid money in the hope of getting jobs and it is alleged that millions of rupees had been swindled in this context.
TamilNet: 20.02.10 SLFP branch in Jaffna enlisting members using deceptive tactics
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