President revokes emergency rule ordinance
COLOMBO – Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa late on Tuesday (5) revoked the emergency rule ordinance that had gone into effect on April 1, even as the government struggled to quell protests amid the nation’s worst economic crisis in decades.
In a Gazette notification, Rajapaksa said the emergency rule ordinance would stand revoked as of midnight on April 5.
The President’s decision comes as his ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peremuna (SLPP)-led coalition suffered a major blow on Tuesday with 42 legislators withdrew their support to the party in Parliament.
He needs Parliament approval to continue the State of Emergency for one month from the day he declared.
However, with the withdrawal of support from 42 SLPP legislators, his ruling coalition has a possibility of losing the vote.
Opposition legislator M.A Sumanthiran on Tuesday called for the Emergency Law to be put to a vote.
The move also comes after tourism industry stakeholders protested on Tuesday in front of Tourist Promotion Bureau asking to revoke the Emergency Law while business chambers had sent a statement over the damage the Emergency Law could caused to Sri Lanka’s crisis-hit economy.
Rajapaksa imposed the emergency followed by a curfew on Sunday (3) and social media ban after some spontaneously gathered protesters via social media started to attack houses of SLPP legislators.
However, protesters defied president’s 36-hour curfew law on Sunday and agitated several parts of the roads, making the State of Emergency ineffective.
-Agencies/EN