Despite ending Emergency, Sirisena keeps SL military empowered with police powers

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 August 2019, 00:04 GMT]
SL President Maithiripala Sirisena has re-issued a Gazette notification calling out all the members of the SL Army, SL Navy and SL Air Force for the maintenance of public order in all the 25 districts of the island, including the eight districts of the occupied country of Eezham Tamils in the North and East. The powers provided to the three armed forces include the powers of search and arrest, usually conferred on police officers. The SL President has however allowed the Emergency Regulations to lapse itself by not renewing the Gazette notification that could extend it for another month. Although the state of emergency has expired, the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), enacted initially in 1979 and made permanent in 1982, is in force.

Even without the state of emergency, the PTA regulations provide a wide range of powers to the SL police and the armed forces.

In addition to the PTA, the SL armed forces enjoying police powers further emboldens the military rule of genocidal Sri Lanka in the occupied country of Eezham Tamils in the North and East of the island.

SL military officers with the ranks and above that of Sergeant of the SL Army or SL Air Force or of Petty Officer of the SL Navy could launch a search operation anywhere in the island by the extraordinary powers accorded to them by the SL President.

Mr Sirisena has made a Gazette notification to this effect, invoking section 12 of the Public security Ordinance (Chapter 40) on 22 August, as he did on 22 April 2019 following the Easter Attacks.



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