Presentation of ATB to Parliament put off

Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe yesterday said the presentation of the Anti Terrorism Act (ATA) to Parliament would be postponed until the end of April due to requests from political parties and civil society organisations opposed to the proposed law.

The Minister said that by delaying the presentation of the bill to Parliament, he had given an opportunity for those who oppose the bill to study it and prepare for legal action once the bill was presented to parliament. Rajapakshe said that this bill was in line with similar international laws and that the police would not receive more leeway to misuse their authority.

“Right now the President has the power to issue detention orders. The proposed act takes this power from the president and gives the power to law enforcement agencies,” he said.

The minister added that the ATA would not lead to the suppression of the rights of unionists or journalists. “Unless you plan to be a terrorists, there is nothing to fear,” he said.

The ATA has been criticised by Opposition political parties, civil society organisations and professional bodies. On Wednesday, Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has urged the government to defer the bill pending consultations with concerned parties, including the association.

The BASL has said the Bill has been published in the Gazetted without adequate consultations with the relevant stakeholders including the BASL. Hence the BASL calls upon the Government to consider to defer the Bill until there is a wider stakeholder consultation and the concerns of stakeholders including the BASL are taken into account.