Emergency extended for another month in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 May 2010, 15:33 GMT]
Sri Lanka parliament Wednesday after a two day debate adopted a motion moved by the government to extend the State of Emergency for another month by a majority of 118 votes. 132 parliamentarians from the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and a rebel MP of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) voted for the motion. Two parliamentarians of the UNP who were present in the House at the time of voting and 12 MPs of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) voted against. The State of Emergency is in force since 12th August 2005 and being extended every month with the approval of the parliament.

The UNP parliamentarian who voted with the government is Mr. M. A. Abdul Cader who was elected from the Kandy district in the last general election held on April 8.

After the general election a difference of opinion arose between the dissent parliamentarian and the UNP leadership over the question of allowing Rauf Hakim, leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) to contest the Kandy district on UNP ticket.

Rauf Hakim was elected from the Kandy district in the last general election.

Majority parliamentarians of the UNP and the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) were not present at that time of voting as they had staged a walk-out earlier in protest of the decision of not allowing DNA parliament group leader General Sarath Fonseka by Sri Lanka Army and the failure of the Speaker to take appropriate steps to allow Fonseka, to attend parliament Wednesday.