News
Attorney General under fire for failure to study Online Safety Bill properly
The Attorney General’s Department had not studied the Online Safety Bill properly when it was first gazetted, President’s Counsel Dr Jayampathy Wickramaratne has said.
The government first gazetted the Bill on 15 September 2023.
“Then, we went to the Supreme Court against it and at the court the Attorney General’s Department officials said they would present over 30 amendments to the Bill. The Constitution says that when a Bill is presented, the Attorney General must attest that it is not against the Constitution. So, it appears that the Attorney General has not properly studied the Bill.”
Dr. Wickramaratne added that sources within the government told him that the Bill had been drafted by the Ministry of Media but presented by the Ministry of Justice. He mentioned that on many occasions, the government had agreed before the Supreme Court to amend Bills that were approved by the Cabinet.
“We are given these amendments by the court itself. The whole purpose of gazetting these Bills is for the people to read and understand. These amendments at the court undermines the whole point of gazetting a Bill.”
“The parliamentary debate about the Online Safety Bill was limited to two days, and it is obvious that the government wants to pass the Bill immediately,” he added.
“This will have a devastating impact on the freedom of expression of the people. This is the consensus of most. Even liking a Facebook post is expressing an opinion. Given how broad the definitions of this Act are, people can be hounded for even liking a post that the government doesn’t like.”
Wickramaratne said that most of the public discourse now takes place on the Internet. People used social media and WhatsApp groups to share ideas and disseminate information.
“Two elections are coming up soon, and a lot of debates and campaigns will take place online. We fear that the acts are election-targeted. Other countries take years before such bills are passed.”
The government also wants to suppress people’s objections to its economic policies, he said.
Dr. Wickramaratne mentioned that the judiciary does not have the power to review Bills that are passed. In the first Constitution of independent Sri Lanka, people could challenge Bills once it became obvious that these Bills had scary implications.
“If we could go to court against the Online Safety Bill once it’s passed, the situation wouldn’t be as grave. As it is, even if the Supreme Court understands the gravity of the Bill, there is nothing the judiciary can do about it because we can’t go before the court.”
Wickramaratne said the Anti-Terrorism Bill, too ,will be debated soon. There is a lot of criticism towards this act, too. These are Bills that should be debated in depth, and it’s better if they are passed with the consensus of the opposition.
“The Anti-Terrorism Bill was first presented in March 2023, and there was a lot of opposition. The government withdrew the Bill but presented a new draft in September 2023. There was a lot of opposition to that, too. The government then promised to address the concerns raised by local and international parties. We expected the government to issue a gazette with a new draft. But nothing of that nature took place. The Minister of Justice presented to Parliament the same Bill he presented in September 2023. The Minister said he has come up with a new definition for terrorism, but that’s not in the Bill he presented a few weeks ago.”
Dr Wickramaratne said when the Anti-Terrorism Bill was challenged in the Supreme Court, the Attorney General might present amendments at that stage. “No one has any clue as to what amendments the government will bring,” he said.
… reminds AKD led over 560 protests during Yahapalanaya
Former Yahapalana Minister and United Republican Front (URF) leader Patali Champika Ranawaka yesterday (19) alleged that the JVP, which carried out over 560 protests during the 2015-2019 period, was now bent on preventing the Opposition from exercising its democratic right to protest.
Recalling the declaration made by the JVP at the height of the violent protest campaign in July 2022 that it would set the Parliament ablaze, the former parliamentarian lashed out at the JVP-led administration for using the police excessively to curb political opposition. Ranawaka said this while addressing the media at the former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Flower Road Office .
Commenting on the protest campaign launched by the Maha Sangha, demanding presidential pardon for General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) Ven. Galagotaatte Gnanasara, the ex-Colombo District lawmaker alleged that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake used a combination of police, investigative units and JVP cadres to break up the monks’ protest. The government went to the extent of compelling the JVP/NPP-run Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) to deprive the peaceful protesters of basic toilet facilities, he alleged.
The government’s actions proved that only those with prior approval from JVP Pelawatte headquarters could launch protests in Colombo, its suburbs or in the provinces. The police have become a political tool in the hands of the JVP, the ex-Minister said. (SF)
By SK Samaranayake
Six people were killed and seven others injured when a speeding bulker lorry carrying cement and concrete ploughed into several vehicles and a shop on the Kandy-Jaffna A9 road at Kurugoda, Akurana, yesterday (19).
Four of the victims, two women and two men, died on the spot in the accident which occurred around 10.30 am, according to Alawathugoda Police.
Police said the bulker, travelling at high speed from the Matale direction, collided with three three-wheelers, two motorcycles and two lorries before veering off the road and crashing into a commercial establishment.
Five of the injured were rushed to the National Hospital of Kandy, where hospital sources said two remained in critical condition.
The bodies of the four victims were placed at the Akurana Hospital, where two others, who suffered minor injuries, were also receiving treatment.
The driver of the bulker was arrested by the Alawathugoda Police Traffic Division and is to be produced before court.
Investigations are being conducted under the supervision of Central Province Senior DIG Lalith Pathinayake.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
owledging that there had been an administrative lapse on the part of the President’s Office in 2019 when Maithripala Sirisena granted presidential pardon to Ven. Gnanasara Thera, Convener of Janathawadi Joint Opposition Prof. G.L. Peiris yesterday (19) urged President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to rectify whatever those shortcomings and release the General Secretary of Bodu Bala Sena.
Addressing the media at the former President Ranil Wickrekmesinghe’s Flower Road Office, Prof. Peiris emphasized that it was not fair to hold Ven. Gnanasara accountable for lapse or technical fault of others at the Presidential Secretariat during President Sirisena’s tenure.
Prof. Peiris was flanked by UNP Chairman Wajira Abeywardena and United Republican Front (URF) leader Patali Champika Ranawaka.
The fresh appeal was made on behalf of Ven. Gnanasara in the wake of President Dissanayake and JVP heavyweight Anura Kumara Dissanayake ruling out fresh presidential pardon for the monk. Minister Lal Kantha declared that the government couldn’t under any circumstances meet the continuing monks’ protest demanding Ven. Gnanasara’s release. President Dissanayake dismissed repeated appeals for Ven. Gnanasara’s release when he addressed the NPP really in Badulla.
Sirisena granted presidential pardon in May 2019 even before he completed a year of his six-year term of rigorous imprisonment for contempt of court during proceedings of the media personality Prageeth Ekneligoda’s 2010 January disappearance in the Homagama Magistrate’s court.
At the onset of the regular weekly briefing, Prof. Peiris said that he would report to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) today (20) morning as requested by the commission. “The CIABOC wanted to record my statement regarding a meeting I chaired at the ministry after the conclusion of the war in 2009 pertaining to an ongoing investigation.”
Commenting further on the imprisonment of Ven. Gnanasara, the former parliamentarian said that President Sirisena intervened following a spate of requests made on behalf of BBS General Secretary by the Mahanayakes, Anunayakes and other Maha Sangha.
The Supreme Court on 10 September, 2026 rescinded the presidential pardon granted in late May 2019.
Heavy showers about 100 mm are likely at some places in the Northern, North-central, Central, Eastern, North-western and Uva provinces
Molineux, Dunkley enter WPL 2027 auction with top base price of INR 50 lakh
Ranawaka accuses govt. of using JVP cadres and police to suppress political opponents
Six killed as speeding bulker crashes into vehicles, shop in Akurana
Prof. Peiris, summoned by CIABOC, appeals for Ven. Gnanasara’s release
Tusker Agbo found safe and in good health
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