The deputy general secretary of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) has declared his support for incumbent, President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the presidential election next month.

Speaking at the SLFP headquarters earlier today, Udaya Gammanpila said he could not support the attempts by the UNP to regain power as he feels they will divide the country.

Gammanpila said he will resign from the JHU and join Rajapaksa’s SLFP as he could not support some of the pledges made by the common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena.

Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa has claimed that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has asked about the chain of command in the Sri Lankan armed forces.

Speaking at his first election rally in Anuradhapura, Rajapaksa said this gave a “strong indication” that some sections of the international community were attempting to prosecute officials in Sri Lanka’s military.

Rajapaksa will face the opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the presidential election next month and both camps have used the rejection of the international probe into war crimes as a key tenet of their campaign.

The president said he would never allow any member of the security forces to be taken to the ICC.

"Sri Lankan government will not bow down for foreign interventions in the matter of the war victory," Rajapaksa said, adding that he will not permit a “foreign force” to jeopardise the political stability in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan Minister of Youth Affairs Dullas Allaha told journalists on Tuesday that Tamils who have migrated will never be granted the opportunity to cast votes in the election, as they would help to grow the LTTE movement in the country.