By Walter Jayawardhana

Two government Ministers criticised Opposition and UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe for stating that the government should immediately give up implementing the Emergency Regulations and the Act against Terrorism which was passed by the legislature against the terrorist activities of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the 1980’s

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Addressing the parliament Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva said that the leader of Opposition is in an indecent hurry to end these two acts which are absolutely necessary to mop up operation of the LTTE activities in the country after ending the war. “Is the Leader of Opposition in a hurry to bring back all the LTTE activities,” the Minister asked.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He further said the government has a duty to paralyse the terrorist movement in a manner that it cannot come back to the country. The troops have got to find out Suicide Bombers from places they are hiding and suicide jackets from places they are being hidden for the protection of the Sri Lankan people who are still at the danger , the Minister said.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Minister Maitripala Sirisena said the Opposition leader was asking to remove the implementation of the laws for narrow political gains of his party. He said those legislations are necessary not only for the mop up operations of the terrorists but also to proceed with the prosecution against some terrorists. There might be few who are still concealed from the authorities of the law and persons who have committed terrorist offences yet to be prosecuted , he said.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Meanwhile Minister Laxman Yapa Abeywardena said the government is making arrangement to establish a civil administration in the Northern Province where there had been no proper government administration . All arrangements will be established to implement the 13th amendment to the Constitution in the area and in other provinces, the minister said.