Then acting president Ranil Wickremesinghe had declared a state of emergency on 17 July. It allows the military to be given powers to detain people, restrict public gatherings and search private property. The emergency decree would have expired on Wednesday if it had not been ratified by parliament. The extension means it will continue for a month before it has to be approved again, a lawmaker said. Police said in separate statements on Wednesday that they arrested activists Kusal Sandaruwan and Weranga Pushpika on charges of unlawful assembly. Police also released photos of 14 suspects wanted in connection with the arson attack on Wickremesinghe’s home on the same day of the seizure of the president’s office and residence. The arrests of the two activists come a day after student leader Dhaniz Ali was arrested as he boarded a Dubai-bound flight at the country’s main airport. Police said there was a warrant for his arrest in connection with a magistrate’s court case, without giving further details. Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled under the cover of darkness in a military jet earlier this month after protesters occupied his home and presidential offices, demanding he step down. He later flew to Singapore and tendered his resignation, while his successor, Wickremesinghe, declared a state of emergency and promised a tough line against “troublemakers”. Many had assumed Rajapaksa would remain out of the country in self-imposed exile to avoid possible prosecution on corruption and war crimes charges dating back more than a decade. However, he is expected to return home, according to a cabinet minister. His apparent decision to return to Sri Lanka could be partly because he has few other options for travel. Human rights groups and lawyers said they were behind the scenes lobbying countries not to accept him, and the US embassy reportedly refused to grant him a visa. The US was considered Rajapaksa’s preferred final destination as his son and grandson live there and he is a former citizen. Police last week demolished the capital’s main anti-government protest camp in a pre-dawn attack that alarmed foreign diplomats and rights groups. Public anger had been simmering for months in Sri Lanka before the massive July 9 demonstration that ended Rajapaksa’s rule. He had been accused of mismanaging the nation’s finances and brought the economy to a standstill after the country ran out of foreign currency needed to import vital goods. Sri Lanka’s 22 million people have endured months of prolonged blackouts, record inflation and shortages of food, fuel and petrol. Protesters had also called for Wickremesinghe’s resignation and accused him of protecting the Rajapaksa clan, which has dominated Sri Lankan politics for much of the past two decades.
