Lankan president issues gazette, revokes order on high security zones

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe issued an extraordinary gazette on Saturday, revoking last week's order that declared several key locations in Colombo as high security zones, after sustained pressure from the Opposition and country's human rights watchdog condemning his move.

On September 23, Wickremesinghe declared the Parliament, Supreme Court complex and the President's Secretariat among others as high security zones, and banned any kind of protest or agitation near its premises.

The move, which many see as a throwback to the restrictions imposed during the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) days that saw suicide explosions at such key locations, prevents even the parking of cars near the vicinity of key government buildings.

By gazette number 2299/71 dated today, President Wickremesinghe states that he was revoking the said order, according to an extraordinary gazette notification issued by the Presidential Secretariat on Saturday.

In a notification issued on ...