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Wednesday, March 03, 2010 - 04.05 GMT |
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President signs
Gazette to extend Emergency
Parliament to
reconvene March |
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President
Mahinda
Rajapaksa
has
signed
the
Gazette
notification
for the
extension
of
Emergency
for
another
month
and
reconvening
Parliament
which is
now
dissolved,
on March
9, to
vote on
the
extension
of
emergency
powers
for
reasons
of
national
security.
The
legislation,
first
introduced
in 1983,
requires
approval
from Sri
Lanka's
democratically
elected
Parliament
every
month,
for the
extension
of the
State of
Emergency.
January's
relatively
peaceful
and
internationally
recognized
free and
fair
Presidential
election
was held
with
Emergency
regulations
in
place.
The
extension
of the
Emergency
shows
that the
Government
wishes
to take
no risks
regarding
the
safety
of its
citizens,
or the
security
of the
electoral
process,
leading
up to
the
country's
first
General
election
since
the end
of the
27 years
of LTTE
terrorism
in 2009.
Although
the LTTE
was
defeated
in May
2009,
there
are
reliable
reports
that
some
LTTE
cadres
are
still
around,
with
intent
to carry
out
activities
threatening
public
security.
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