‘President has empowered himself with emergency powers’

The president has empowered himself with provisions in the state of emergency through a gazette extraordinary despite his claim to parliament at the emergency rule would be abolished immediately, alleged UNP general secretary Tissa Attanayake yesterday (Aug. 30).

 Mr. Attanayake told the media that the president now had the powers to summon armed forces anywhere in the island.

 This gazette extraordinary provides for the continuation of emergency regulations without a change, he said.

 Together with the maintenance of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, it provides for the armed forces to curb public rallies, protests, student struggles and trade union actions and even the power to conduct searches and to make arrests, he added.

SLM