Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa says the state of emergency will not be removed to make India, the US or UK happy. He says the President will decide what’s best.
India has been pushing Sri Lanka to repeal the emergency laws which were in place mainly as a security measure during the war against Tamil Tiger rebels.
With the defeat of the LTTE two years ago the Indian government has continuously said that the emergency laws should be withdrawn.
Several human rights groups had alleged that the emergency laws were being misused by the security forces in Sri Lanka to suppress opposition to the Sri Lankan government.
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa told reporters this evening (Tuesday) that President Mahinda Rajapaksa knows what’s best for the country and only he will decide on the emergency laws with the support of the Sri Lankan parliament.
He also dismissed as rumors that the “grease devil” character was something created by the government to extend the state of emergency.
Several violent incidents have been taking place in Sri Lanka over the past few weeks with angry mobs attempting to arrest suspicious men with grease on their body, known by locals as “grease devils”.
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said the security forces and the police were not “grease devils” and such characters will be arrested.
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