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Emergency Regulations not gazetted

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 November 2003, 09:32 GMT]
"The recent changes effected to cabinet portfolios necessitated the formality of certain gazette notifications. The emergency regulations were also re-examined and revised," said a press statement from the Presidential Secretariat . The statement said further that "a state of emergency becomes law only after the President signs a proclamation. The President did not sign such a proclamation."

The Presidential Secretariat said Friday the President has not signed the gazette that declared State of Emergency. As such the State of Emergency is not in force in the country, Presidential media advisor Mr. Janadasa Peiris said in a press release.

Therefore the question of lifting the emergency does not arise, he said responding to conflicting reports on the declaration of the State of Emergency.

President Ms.Chandrika Kumaratunge in the meantime Friday put off her address to the nation at 8.30 p.m. Friday. Earlier it was scheduled for Friday noon, Presidential secretariat sources said.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror, an English daily in Colombo in its editorial page of Friday's issue carried a comment that said, "President blinks under international pressure."

Full text of the press statement from the Presidential Secretariat:

"The recent changes effected to cabinet portfolios necessitated the formality of certain gazette notifications. The emergency regulations were also re-examined and revised. Several obnoxious clauses in the emergency regulations, when they were last in force needed to be expunged.

"These revisions were effected to the emergency regulations only to be put into effect in an eventuality, and for the security apparatus to be in a state of preparedness. The revised emergency regulations were also sent to the State Printer.

"This has led to the belief that a state of emergency had been declared. A state of emergency becomes law only after the President signs a proclamation. The President did not sign such a proclamation."

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