Emergency to go

Rasika Somarathna

Emergency regulations are expected to be further relaxed shortly with a total removal in the offing before the year end, according to Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.

Addressing the media at the weekly Cabinet briefing, he recalled it was the government led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa which had removed several clauses in the emergency regulations over a period of time.

The minister also referred to the recent comment made by Prime Minister D.M.Jayaratne in Parliament on the government's intentions of lifting the emergency totally. While describing removing clauses in the emergency regulations as a continuing process, the minister said that he hoped it would be totally relaxed before the year end.