Sri Lankan Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake. Image: Daily Mirror
A Sri Lankan cabinet minister has said the government is "open to discussions" on its proposed counterterrorism law, as criticism of the bill from the UN, rights groups and Tamils in the North-East continues to mount.
Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake said on 1 November that any specific concerns or shortcomings identified in the Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill could be addressed through discussion, the Daily Mirror reported .
"We need an Act to protect the State. Any specific concerns regarding the Bill can be addressed through discussion. We are open to discussions," he said.
Rathnayake said the National People's Power government had pledged to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), which had faced criticism for nearly four decades, and that a replacement law was needed that was "more democratic, effective and consistent with internationally accepted principles" to address organised crime and international terrorism.
A protest in Colombo against the proposed law and the PTA. File photograph
The UN human rights office has warned that the bill reproduces or expands many of the PTA's failings. In its 19-page assessment , it raised concerns over detention orders issued by the defence secretary for up to a year, arrest and search powers for the armed forces and Coast Guard, and broadly defined offences that could be used against journalists, human rights defenders and peaceful protesters.
Last week the election monitoring group PAFFREL wrote to the Sri Lankan president warning that the bill could threaten freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, while the Supreme Court has begun hearing petitions challenging it.
Protesters in Jaffna against the proposed law. File photograph
Tamils across the North-East protested against the bill last month. The PTA has been used for decades to detain and torture Tamils, many of whom were held for years without charge.
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court, where challenges to the bill are being heard. File photograph
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