Apart from suffering the consequences of war, the Tamils are also subject to widespread ethnic discrimination at the hands of the ruling Sinhalese who dominate the government and army. Perhaps one of the worst afflictions Tamils must bear, particularly those from from the war areas, is the constant fear of arbitrary arrest [...] Sri Lanka has a long history of being governed by the Emergency Regulations and Prevention of Terrorism Act. Under these regulations, the security forces and police are given wide powers for arbitrary arrest.