Asked last week about the salience of a Patriot Act-style law for Sri Lanka, US Ambassador to Colombo, Robert O' Blake, responded: “civil liberties, frankly, are already under strain here (in Sri Lanka). So, I wouldn't want to suggest other things that might further imperil them.”
He told the state-owned Daily News last week that the US Patriot Act was operating in tandem with strong respect for civil liberties there.
Mr. Blakes’s comments were published in Tuesday’s edition the day before the Sri Lankan government announce the revival of the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in breach of the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement.
Ambassador Blake told the state-owned Daily News that the Patriot Act had helped the US authorities “to identify people who might be working against the US in some sort of terrorist faction.”
“But, at the same time, there has been a very strong realisation that there has to be a strong respect for civil liberties in America,” he said.
“I think there has been a good, healthy debate about that in the US, and the net result is that the US is safely placed and there have been no major terrorist attacks,” he said.
Asked if he would recommend a Patriotic Act for Sri Lanka, Ambassador Blake replied:
“Well, every country is different. I do not want to start to prescribe how to do things. I think the [Sri Lankan] Government has a good sense of where the LTTE is. Civil liberties. frankly, are already under strain here. So, I wouldn't want to suggest other things that might further imperil them.”
He told the state-owned Daily News last week that the US Patriot Act was operating in tandem with strong respect for civil liberties there.
Mr. Blakes’s comments were published in Tuesday’s edition the day before the Sri Lankan government announce the revival of the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in breach of the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement.
Ambassador Blake told the state-owned Daily News that the Patriot Act had helped the US authorities “to identify people who might be working against the US in some sort of terrorist faction.”
“But, at the same time, there has been a very strong realisation that there has to be a strong respect for civil liberties in America,” he said.
“I think there has been a good, healthy debate about that in the US, and the net result is that the US is safely placed and there have been no major terrorist attacks,” he said.
Asked if he would recommend a Patriotic Act for Sri Lanka, Ambassador Blake replied:
“Well, every country is different. I do not want to start to prescribe how to do things. I think the [Sri Lankan] Government has a good sense of where the LTTE is. Civil liberties. frankly, are already under strain here. So, I wouldn't want to suggest other things that might further imperil them.”
