Sri Lanka declares state of emergency
Sri Lanka’s president declared a state of emergency today, giving the military sweeping powers in the island nation.
The order has been signed but has not yet been made public, according to a top official in the president’s office in the capital Colombo.
The state of emergency allows the military to enter homes without search warrants, arrest people without reason and hold them for lengthy periods of time.
It also gives the president extraordinary powers over the media, and imposes tight censorship restrictions.
The move was certain to infuriate the Tamil Tiger rebels, who have fought a 20-year-war for independence for Sri Lanka’s Tamil people – but who have held to a cease-fire with the government for more than 18 months.
