21 May,2022 07:59 PM IST | Colombo | PTI
Members of the Inter University Students Federation throw fired tear gas canisters back to police during an anti government protest in Colombo on May 19. Pic/PTI
The state of emergency in Sri Lanka has been lifted with effect from Saturday after the government decided not to present the Emergency Regulations in Parliament for approval with the improvement of the law and order situation in the island nation, nearly two weeks after it was imposed following unprecedented anti-government protests.
Embattled Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had declared a state of emergency with effect from May 6 midnight, the second time in just over a month amidst growing countrywide anti-government protests over the economic crisis.
The Presidential Secretariat stated that the state of emergency has been lifted with effect from Friday midnight, Hiru News reported.
The president had declared a state of emergency on May 6 with a special gazette notification. It is up to Parliament to enact and enforce the state of emergency, which must be submitted to the House by the president within 14 days of enactment, the report.
ALSO READ
Sri Lanka President Wickremesinghe calls for deepening ties with India
13 more Indian fishermen arrested by Sri Lanka Navy repatriated to India
Nod for 39 names for Sri Lanka prez poll
Sri Lankan presidential election braces for record number of contestants
Indian fisherman dies in collision between Sri Lankan vessel and Indian fishing boat
However, the government decided not present the Emergency Regulations in Parliament, following which the emergency ceased to function with effect from May 20 midnight, local news website newswire.lk reported.
The move was taken with the improvement of the law and order situation in the island nation.
The state of emergency gave the police and the security forces sweeping power to arbitrarily arrest and detain people.
The president's decision to declare the emergency had come amidst weeks of protests demanding his resignation and the government, blaming the powerful Rajapaksa clan for mishandling the island nation's economy, already hit by the pandemic.
At least 10 people were killed and over 200 injured in clashes between pro- and anti-government protesters.
Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, which has meant that the country cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and very high prices.
An inflation rate spiralling towards 40 per cent, shortages of food, fuel and medicines and rolling power blackouts have led to nationwide protests and a plunging currency, with the government short of the foreign currency reserves it needed to pay for imports.
New York-based ratings agency Fitch has downgraded debt-ridden Sri Lanka's sovereign rating to ¿restricted default¿ after the country defaulted on making international sovereign bond payments.
On April 12, Fitch had downgraded Sri Lanka to 'C'.
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.