A prominent government Minister, who holds a senior position in the UNP, has thrown his weight behind the 'shameless' protest in Yala by Safari operators demanding unhindered access to the wildlife park. 

The minister, who is known to be a Safari lover, has encouraged the Safari Jeep and truck owners to protest against the new environmental regulations imposed by the Department of Wildlife, Asian Mirror reliably learns.

Protest continued for the second day yesterday, demanding authorities to revoke the regulation and give safari operators full access to the park. 

Many environmental activists described the protest by Safari operators "Shameless" saying they were asking for free license to destroy the wildlife park. 

They opined that the conduct of Yala Safari operators was no different to that of a mafia. 

According to the new regulations, only 200 vehicles would be allowed into the park within a day. A total of 100 vehicle will be permitted in the morning and another 100 in the evening. 

The new rule was imposed after repeated requests by many environmentalists and animal rights activists who stressed that overcrowding would cause serious damage to the country's main wildlife park. 

Nearly 550000 tourists visit the Yala national park on a yearly basis.