The Frontline Socialist party through its People’s Struggle Alliance (Janatha Aragala Sandhanaya) yesterday accused the government of seeking to introduce a new anti-terror law containing provisions that could restrict fundamental rights and suppress dissent.

Speaking at a media briefing in Nugegoda yesterday (24), Janatha Aragala Sandhanaya National Executive Council member Duminda Nagamuwa said the government had gazetted the Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill, despite the NPP’s previous pledge to repeal repressive laws, including the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act (PTA).

Nagamuwa alleged that while the government claimed the new Bill was intended to replace the PTA, several provisions were more repressive than those contained in the existing legislation.

He said the proposed definition of terrorism was broad enough to potentially cover attempts to pressure the government or an international organisation to take or refrain from taking certain action.

“For example, if someone asks the government to reduce taxes, that could become a terrorist act. If we say or do something against the IMF, that could also become a terrorist act,” he alleged.

Nagamuwa also questioned the inclusion of offences relating to public property and protests within the proposed terrorism-related offences, arguing that such matters were already covered by existing laws.

He expressed concern over a provision that would empower the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence to issue detention orders, saying such authority had previously been vested in the President.

He also alleged that Section 51 of the proposed Bill would enable the police to obtain orders restricting protests if they believed a demonstration could exceed prescribed limits.

“This would undermine the fundamental right to protest,” he said.

Nagamuwa further claimed that the proposed legislation would expand the powers of the police, military and Coast Guard to conduct searches and that Section 66 would treat such actions and prosecutions as having been carried out in good faith.

He also criticised a provision under which the Attorney General could, in certain circumstances, refer a person who admitted an offence for rehabilitation and release the person from the proceedings.

Another concern, he said, was the proposed power of the President to designate organisations as prohibited organisations. According to Nagamuwa, acts carried out in support of such organisations could subsequently be treated as terrorist acts.

He alleged that the government was abandoning its earlier commitments to dismantle repressive laws and was instead preparing legislation that could be used against dissent.

Nagamuwa alleged that the government was implementing an economic programme favouring the wealthy while increasing the tax and economic burden on the public, and claimed that repressive laws were being introduced to suppress opposition to that programme.

He called on the public to oppose the proposed legislation, saying the Bill should not even be presented to Parliament.

Habeebu Lebbe Mohammed Rifan was sworn in yesterday (24) as a Member of the Tenth Parliament before  Speaker, Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne.

Following the oath and affirmation before the Speaker, he signed the Members’ Roll placed before Secretary General of Parliament,  Kushani Rohanadeera.

Habeebu Lebbe Mohammed Rifan has been appointed to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Mohamed Sheriff Abthul Wazeeth, who served as a National List Member of Parliament representing the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress.

An Attorney-at-law by profession, Habeebu Lebbe Mohammed Rifan completed his school education at Oddamavadi Central College in Batticaloa. He is also serving as the Kalkudah Electorate Organiser of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress.

by Chaminda Silva

Lankan banks are introducing additional security measures for online banking as increasingly sophisticated phishing attacks and cloned banking websites are being used by international scam networks to steal customers’ credentials and gain unauthorised access to their accounts, former Information Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) Director Prashansa Dissanayake said.

Dissanayake said the digital financial sector had faced a growing wave of cyber threats over the past year, with fraudsters increasingly using artificial intelligence and other sophisticated techniques to target banking customers.

He said that phishing attacks and fake banking portals were being used to harvest customers’ login credentials, creating a growing risk of account takeovers.He said banks had therefore begun introducing stricter security protocols to counter such attempts and protect customers’ funds.

Dissanayake said some of the new measures, including restricting internet banking access to pre-registered or trusted browsers and requiring additional verification steps, could initially appear inconvenient to customers.

However, she said such additional security layers were essential safeguards against automated cyberattacks.

“These additional security layers act as automated ‘circuit breakers’, interrupting fraudulent access attempts before scammers can gain control of an account and withdraw funds,” Dissanayake said.

She said customers seeking greater convenience and security should consider using their banks’ official mobile banking applications rather than accessing banking services through links or websites whose authenticity they could not verify.

Dissanayake said biometric authentication features such as Face ID and fingerprint verification provided an additional layer of protection when accessing official banking applications.

She said such applications could also reduce the risk of customers falling victim to URL spoofing and cloned banking websites.

“Whether you are using your phone at home or travelling abroad, biometric authentication through an official banking application provides a convenient additional layer of security,” she said.

Dissanayake stressed that the additional security checks and verification procedures introduced by banks were not intended simply to inconvenience customers but to protect their hard-earned money from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

He urged banking customers to follow their banks’ security instructions, use only official banking applications and remain vigilant when receiving links or requests for banking credentials.

“Every additional security check, verification gate or system update introduced by a bank is ultimately intended to safeguard customers’ money from evolving global cyber threats,” Dissanayake said.