Lankan Parliament Approves Extension of Emergency till Elections

Giving sweeping powers to police and military, outgoing parliament of island country of Sri Lanka has approved extension of a state of emergency until after legislative elections scheduled for next month, reported AFP.

Parliament voted strongly for extension of the laws enforced by President Mahinda Rajapaksa earlier this month, said report.

The laws were enacted to deal with anti-government elements after the crushing of Tamil Tiger rebels almost a year ago.

“We are not going to use these emergency laws against the political opposition, but only to deal with the remnants of the Tigers,” Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was quoted as saying in parliament.

It may be mentioned that the president can extend the emergency for a month at a time but it has to be ratified by parliament within 10 days.

Fresh parliamentary elections are due on April 8, before the expiry of the current extension of the emergency.