Colombo, August 27: Stating that there has not been a single act of terrorism in the island since the war with the LTTE ended in May 2009, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced in Parliament his decision to lift emergency laws.
The President also told the Parliament that elections to the northern provincial council will be held next year, but did not mention any date.
The provincial council system was introduced in 1988 after the Indo-Sri Lankan accord, which was when the first poll was held. There have been no elections ever since in the Tamil dominated province, citing war as an excuse. Emergency regulations have allowed the security forces to detain a person whom they “believe may commit offences”, for up to one year as a preventive measure.
The laws were first introduced in 1971 after an insurrection by the Marxists to topple the then government, but was abolished in 1977.
In 1983, the regulations came to be re-imposed with the stepping up of the separatist campaign by the LTTE. In 1994, the regulations were limited to the north and eastern districts where the LTTE were running their parallel administration.
The whole country was put under the regulations in 1995 when the LTTE resumed its hostilities. With the government entering the Norwegian backed peace talks with the LTTE, the state of emergency was lifted in 2002 only to be re-imposed in August 2005 when the LTTE assassinated foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. Rajapaksa’s announcement means the regulations will lapse at the end of August.
—Agencies