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Harini says govt. is mortally scared of people and that is the reason for draconian new anti-terrorism act

Published

2 years ago

2023/09/24

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The newly gazetted anti-terrorism act can make protesting against the International Monetary Fund (IMF) a terrorist offense, JVP-led NPP MP Dr Harini Amarasuriya said in Colombo last week.The government is panicking because it can’t implement the agreement signed with the IMF due to practical constraints, Dr Amarasuriya said.She said that the government, a few months ago, told professionals, that personal taxes imposed on them would be reduced during the first IMF review.

“The IMF team is here but there are no concessions to professionals. In fact, the government is panicking because it has not fulfilled what it promised the IMF. And most of these recommendations can’t be enforced due to practical constraints,” she said.

Dr Amarasuriya said the economic crisis has worsened and that within months an election has to be held.

“The government will lose the election if there is a level playing field. They have to win using intimidation,” she said.

The MP said regazetted anti-terrorism bill contained vague and broad definitions. “When the bill was brought up first in April 2023, the main criticism of it was that its definition of terrorism was too broad. The act proposes to shift some offenses that are currently punishable under the penal code, into the category of terrorist offenses. The new version of the bill will make protesting against the IMF a terrorist offence,” she said.

Sharing information about the IMF can be considered a terrorist offense, she said. This bill severely restricts the freedom of expression of unions, civil society and media, Dr Amarasuriya said.

She said that most MPs in the government seem to hate people and believe that the people have caused them a great injustice.

“The people have rejected them and they can’t stand it. The 2022 uprising has shaken their hold on the people. A smart government would look at what led to protests in 2022 and what led to the attacks on politicians. Instead, they are driven by a primordial hate. They want to hurt and punish people,” she said.

Dr Amarasuriya said that people are increasingly realizing the danger of domestic debt restructuring.

“However, they haven’t really grasped what will happen to their EPF. The government is bombarded with issues and people who are desperate to survive today have less time to think about collecting their EPF, which will happen in a few years. No other country has only subjected pension funds to domestic debt restructuring,” she said.

There are 14 countries that have restructured domestic debt along with external debt. Out of the 14 countries, 12 have not touched funds like EPF. Only Grenada and Ghana have restructured these funds, she said. These two countries too have restructured loans taken from other domestic lenders.

“Sri Lanka is the only country that has exclusively used funds like EPF that are there for the welfare of the workers,” she said.

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SAARC journalists meet in New Delhi

Published

7 hours ago

2026/02/6

Priyan

President of SJF Sri Lanka Chapter Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi hands over a memento to Dr Alok Kumar Mishra Joint Secretary of the Association of Indian Universities

Members of the South Asian Journalists Forum have gathered at the University of New Delhi for a two day conference themed ‘Peace and Co-operation’.

Journalists from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India are attending the conference hosted by the University of Delhi in collaboration with the India Chapter of SJF, and will deliberate on how the media can act as a catalyst for regional stability and mutual coexsistence.

A tree plantation campaign was also held at the Ghandi Bhawan premises of the University to mark the event and symbolize growing regional ties.

The Sri Lanka delegation is led by President of SJF’s Sri Lanka Chapter Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi.

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Governor of Gujarat met with Sri Lanka PM to discuss exposition of Devnimori Relics

Published

9 hours ago

2026/02/6

Priyan

The Governor of the of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, along with the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghvi, met with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on Thursdy [February 05] at the Parliamentary Complex to discuss the arrangements related to the exposition of the Devnimori Sacred Relics of Lord Buddha, which have been brought to Sri Lanka under the patronage of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India.

These sacred relics of Lord Buddha were discovered during archaeological excavations conducted in the 1960s at the historic Devnimori site in Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Until now, these relics had never been taken outside India. As a result of discussions held between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Sri Lanka, the people of Sri Lanka have been granted this rare opportunity to venerate these sacred relics.

The exposition of the relics is being held for a period of seven days, from February 05 to February 11, at the Gangaramaya Temple in Hunupitiya, Colombo. Discussions were held between both parties regarding the arrangements related to this event.

The discussion was attended by Samar Nanda, Joint Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Culture; Dr. Satyanjal Pandey, Acting High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka; Abhijit Halder, Director General of the International Buddhist Confederation; along with several others.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

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INS GHARIAL makes port call in Colombo

Published

15 hours ago

2026/02/6

Priyan

The Indian Naval Ship (INS) GHARIAL made a port call in Colombo for operational turnarounds on 04 Feb 26. The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions.

Commanded by Commander Gaurav Tewari, INS GHARIAL is a vessel with a length of 124.8 meters.

During this visit, ten (10) Bailey Bridges, brought by ship, through the coordination of the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka, will be handed over to the Disaster Management Center. These bridges will provide temporary transportation links while bridges damaged across the island by adverse weather conditions are repaired.

The crew’s itinerary features scheduled goodwill activities with the Sri Lanka Navy, alongside visits to several tourist attractions across the island.