Uthayan was shut down by the Sri Lankan government on 19 May 2000 using the recently passed draconian law – the Emergency (Miscellaneous Provisions and Powers) Regulation No.1 of 2000. The Sri Lanka Army cut off the phone lines, locked the offices and took away the keys. The newspaper re-opened 45 days later on 4 July 2000 after the government lifted its ban.
