Revised anti-terror bill unveiled in Sri Lankan Parliament

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakse on Wednesday presented the draft of the new anti-terrorism bill in Parliament, assuring that multiple areas that drew criticism from various fronts have been amended.

The new Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) will replace the much-maligned Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) of 1979, which was introduced as a temporary arrangement to counter the campaign of separatist violence by the Tamil minority militant groups in 1979.

The former law was roundly condemned for its draconian nature, where people were allowed to be detained without being charged for indefinite periods.

The new legislation drew stiff resistance from the opposition parties as well as the minority communities over the alleged attempts to restrict the people's rights to information and expression under the guise of a crackdown on terrorism.

Rajapakse tabled the draft of a new anti-terrorism bill at the Parliament on Wednesday. Defending the draft, the minister told the house that multiple areas that drew criticism had been amended, the NewsFirst news portal reported.

In March 2023, the government gazetted the existing bill, which came under widespread local and international criticism, but the new bill was seen as even more draconian than the PTA, which was used as the primary tool to crush the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s (LTTE) armed separatist campaign for a separate Tamil homeland in the northern and eastern provinces of the island nation for nearly 30 years.

The draft bill's expansive definition of "Terrorism" threw open the door for authorities to target anyone involved in peaceful protests while also empowering police to detain suspects under the Detention Orders before court appearances, the report said.

Faced with public outcry, the Sri Lankan government conceded to revise the bill, issuing a new gazette on September 15, 2023.