President revokes his new Gazette on high-security zones

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has revoked the gazette notice through which new High-Security Zones were declared in parts of Colombo.

The President issued a gazette notice yesterday – the 01st of October, revoking the gazette notice issued by him on 16th September and published on 23rd September.

Through the earlier gazette notice the President had declared areas around the Parliament Complex, Supreme Court Complex, High Court Complex in Colombo, Magistrate Court Complex in Colombo and Attorney General’s Department, Presidential Secretariat, President’s House, Sri Lanka Navy Headquarters, and Police Headquarters as High-Security Zones.

Also, the areas around the Ministry of Defence and Sri Lanka Army Headquarters in Akuregoda, the Sri Lanka Air Force Headquarters in Slave Island, the Prime Minister’s Office at Flower Road, Temple Trees in Kollupitiya and the Official Residencies of the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and the Commanders of the Tri Forces, had also been declared as High-Security Zones Protests and public gatherings in the areas declared as High-Security Zones had been banned.

According to the gazette notification, the Secretary to the Defence Ministry was named as the competent authority for the implementation of these orders.

It read that no person will be allowed to conduct or hold a public gathering or procession on a road, ground, shore or other open area located within the High-Security Zones without the prior permission of the Inspector-General of Police or the Senior DIG in charge of the Western Province.