SLFP General Secretary Minister Maithripala Sirisena said yesterday that the government had to extend the emergency regulations as most of LTTE suspects were detained and arrested under it. That was the reason for extending it.

The government had summoned Parliament, which was dissolved last month to extend the emergency on March 09. The motion submitted by the Government seeking the extension of the state of emergency was passed in Parliament with a majority of 69 votes. The motion received 93 votes in favour and 24 against. The JVP, UNP and TNA voted against the extension of emergency.

Minister Sirisena said that over 10,000 LTTE suspects are still in government custody. If the emergency expired, the government would have to release them.

However, opposition parties claimed yesterday that the government was using the emergency to suppress the opposition supporters and their general election campaign. They said the same practice was carried out by the government at the presidential and provincial council elections.

JVP heavyweight Anura Kumara Dissanayake said government claimed that the LTTE cadres were detained under the emergency laws. But why was the government detaining them without prosecuting or releasing them? he asked

"The Government was detaining senior LTTE member Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP at a luxury house with five star facilities. So what was the need of emergency laws to detain him," Dissanayake asked.

He said the government arrested the editor of the ‘Lanka’ newspaper Chandana Sirimalwatte and sealed the ‘Lanka’ editorial office under emergency laws. The government also arrested some university students and prohibited election processions and protests under the emergency. "We ask the government how those practices are linked to the LTTE suspects."

UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said that the government was stopping several opposition rallies and meetings including processions during the general election season using the state of emergency.