The Sri Lankan government announced that a draft version of proposed new counter terrorism legislation has been forwarded to the “Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security” for further discussions.
Sri Lanka’s cabinet of minister has reportedly approved the draft, which was drawn up by Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to report the much criticised Prevention of Terrorism act (PTA). Thousands of Tamils have been held under the decades-old PTA, which allowed arrest without charge. Hundreds of prisoners are reported to still be languishing in Sri Lankan jails.
“We need the new law to ensure the country is not used as a recruiting ground or for other organising activity of international terrorists,” said Sri Lanka's acting Media Minister Karunarathne Paranavithana.
Several concerns have already been expressed about the new draft legislation, with TNA MP MA Sumanthiran warning the new bill “may even be worse than the PTA”. The parliamentarian is part of the Sectoral Oversight Committee se tup last year, which will debate the bill.
The committee also includes Chamal Rajapaksa, brother of the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, and the leader of the government aligned paramilitary group the EPDP, Douglas Devananda.
See the full list of parliamentarians debating the bill here.
