Over 70,000 security personnel deployed for Sri Lanka election (Roundup)

Over 70,000 security personnel were deployed in Sri Lanka ahead of the presidential election Thursday as campaigning ended Tuesday.

The strong security contingent includes 66,100 police personnel and 5,000 members of the Special Task Force (STF), to ensure a free and fair election, Ceylon Today reported.

Police spokesperson Ajith Rohana revealed that 420 permanent road barricades would be in place in addition to road-blocks around the country to check suspicious vehicles and persons during election time.

On the last day of campaigning Tuesday, President Mahinda Rajapaksa and opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena held rallies to gather last minute support, with each claiming that he would win, Xinhua reported.

Rajapaksa said his supporters should not take revenge on the opposition if he won the election.

There have been concerns over the violence ahead of the election day, with observers saying the violence may affect the polls.

Sri Lankan Election Commissioner Mahinda Desapriya Monday also warned that political violence appeared to be increasing and said that he would have to call for re-polling in areas where such violence continued unabated, according to a Daily Mirror report.

"I am sad that this trend of violence is increasing and is a serious form of election law violation," Deshapriya was quoted as saying.

On the last day of campaigning Tuesday, Rajapaksa reiterated that he would not allow the country to be divided again and that some Western governments wanted him out as he refused to bow to their pressures.

Without naming any country, he said he had been told to reduce the military strength in the country's Tamil-majority north, but he insisted that he would not compromise on national security.

Addressing a large crowd, Sirisena pledged to give priority to national security and not allow the vanquished Tamil Tigers to regroup.