Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Sri Lankan Parliament approves state of emergency

Sri Lanka’s Parliament has approved a state of emergency declared by the president, who says it is needed to control food prices and prevent hoarding amid shortages of some staples

Via AP news wire
Monday 06 September 2021 15:01 BST
Sri Lanka Emergency
Sri Lanka Emergency (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Sri Lanka’s Parliament on Monday approved a state of emergency declared by the president, who said it is needed to control food prices and prevent hoarding amid shortages of some staples.

Opposition lawmakers said the emergency declaration isn't needed because other laws can be used to maintain essential supplies, and the tough emergency rules can be misused to stifle critics.

The emergency law enables authorities to detain people without warrants, seize property, enter and search any premises, suspend laws and issue orders that cannot be questioned in court. Officials who issue such orders are also immune from lawsuits.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared the emergency on Aug. 30. The constitution requires that it be approved within 14 days by the 225-member Parliament, where the governing party has more than 150 seats. The resolution received 132 votes in favor and 51 against.

The government said it has made maximum efforts to use normal laws, but that court cases it filed have been delayed by the pandemic. Governing party lawmakers said the emergency was declared only because other options were not working, and that the government does not intend to use the emergency regulations against opponents.

Sri Lanka has been governed under a state of emergency for much the last 50 years as it went through two Marxist insurrections and a decades-long civil war. Authorities were often accused of using the rules to suppress opponents.

In recent weeks there have been shortages of essential items such as sugar, milk power and cooking gas. The government says the shortages were artificially created by hoarders. The country is also facing a foreign exchange crisis triggered by a drop in tourism and exports, along with heavy loan repayments.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in