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ATA is a continuation of PTA in more repressive form – Prof. Uyangoda
By Rathindra Kuruwita
The proposed Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) is a direct response to the citizens’ protest movement of 2022 and the continuation of these protests this year, Professor Jayadeva Uyangoda, a political scientist, said during an online seminar on the ATA, organised by the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) recently.
“The ATA is a continuation of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in a much repressive form. The terrorism it seeks to suppress is citizen’s political activism. The proposed law frames terrorism as a broad, arbitrary and an alarmingly undemocratic manner,” he said.Prof. Uyangoda said that people had used the term, ‘draconian’, to describe the PTA, however the new ATA went beyond the PTA in its repressive capacity.
“The present government and the President want to address two dimensions. One is that the authority and legitimacy of the current ruling class is in a severe crisis. Most of the people reject the political order run by the current politicians as a whole. This is a severe form of political crisis. The second aspect is that the executive presidential system introduced in 1978 has also faced a severe crisis. The crisis was so deep that unarmed protestors could dislodge a very powerful president. That crisis of executive political order continues,” he said.
What Wickremesinghe is trying to do is to resolve the twin crisis of the existing political order by using the state and political power he has access to. These twin crises occurred because politically conscious citizens not only reject, for the first time, the legitimacy of the political class but also, they are demanding a radical transformation of political culture and class, he said.
“This kind of transformative social demands are not acceptable for the ruling elites. So, what could they do? One thing they could do is introduce new legislation that would transform Sri Lanka into a police state under the supervision of the current political leadership. The political implications of the ATA are far reaching than the PTA or the emergency regulations that we have been having since the 1970s. ATA is trying to achieve what the PTA or the emergency regulations could not achieve, i.e. an effective police state. Sri Lanka is entering a state of heightened de-democratisation,” he said.
Sri Lanka has been in a path of rapid de-democratisation since the 1970s with sporadic attempts to re-democratise it by sections of the people and reformist politicians. However, last year Sri Lanka entered a new phase of re-democratisation with the protest movement.
“What the government has been trying to do is constantly terrorize the politically conscious and active groups of citizens,” he said.
The ATA criminalises the citizen’s political activism and in turn makes the citizen’s political activism an anti-state political activism, Uyangoda said.
“The punishment for activism is 20 years in jail. One of the lessons that the political class has learnt from the protests last year is that they should not allow Sri Lankans to become active, assertive citizens. They don’t only want passive citizens but also subservient citizens. They want to make politically active citizens to be criminals. That is the police state dimension of this,” he said.
He added the proposed ATA is also an attempt by the government to prepare for the social unrest that is likely to arise in the country due to its disastrous austerity measures.
Uyangoda suggests that the burden of economic revival is being placed solely on the poor and middle class, which has created an impending social crisis. He views the proposed ATA as a continuation of the current Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in a much more oppressive form that seeks to counter citizens’ political activism. He warned that the ruling class’s undemocratic response to quash protests and demonstrations would further oppress the people and turn them into terrorists.
Uyangoda argued that the ruling class was aware that their economic programme was likely to lead to daily protests and demonstrations on the country’s roads, and they were trying to prevent such events by strengthening their capabilities and passing oppressive laws. He urged the government to reconsider their approach, warning that such laws will only exacerbate the social crisis and lead to further unrest.
“The middle class has become somewhat politically active. They are the ones opposing the new tax reforms the most. So, the proletariat and the middle classes have both become politicised. One of the ways that capitalism can respond to this is by forcefully de-politicising the people. To achieve this the government has to further strengthen the repressive laws and mechanisms it has. The new enemies of the ruling class are political citizens, the trade unions, the farmers, etc. The government wants to make any form of opposition and act of terrorism,” he said.
Prof. Shyama Banneheka, head of FUTA said that the proposed ATA goes beyond anti-terrorism laws found in most countries. However, it is quite similar to laws passed by governments that attempt to crush dissent and suppress perceived threats by aggrieved people who are affected by disastrous government policies.
Meanwhile, Ermiza Tegal, lawyer and a human rights activist, said that the ATA allows the executive to take over the power of the judiciary. The ATA has a clause empowering the President to make regulations and directions.
“Right now emergency law is the only law that the President can make and that is in an emergency situation. This ATA allows the president to make regulations and directions not only during a time of emergency,” she said.
The computer system at the Department of Registration of Persons has been rectified and the services are back to normal.
… questions why the price of a by-product like kerosene was jacked up
China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec Group) and Indian Oil Corporation Lanka (IOC PLC) have increased the prices of certain products significantly more than the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). However, the fourth player in the market R.M. Parks, a US company in collaboration with Shell that launched operations here in late February last year, has increased its prices in line with Ceypetco.
Convener of the Samagi Joint Trade Union Alliance, Ananda Palitha, yesterday (23) told The Island that foreign players had immensely benefited from the latest price revision at the expense of Sri Lankan consumers.
Alleging that Sinopec and Lanka IOC PLC had become a law unto themselves, Palitha pointed out that the failure on the part of successive governments to establish an Independent Commission and Regulatory Authority for the petroleum sector had allowed Ceypetco and all foreign players to do as they please. Palitha said that in the absence of proper regulatory mechanism, CPC/Energy Ministry should ensure genuine competitiveness in the market.
Palitha said that the NPP government had exploited the ongoing Middle East war to earn unconscionable profits at a time the economy was reeling under the impact of the Hormuz Strait blockade. According to him, all four players increased Auto Diesel by Rs. 79 to Rs. 382 per litre, and Octane 92 Petrol by Rs. 81 to Rs. 398 per litre, while Sinopec and Lanka IOC PLC price list differed in respect of other products. At most filling stations Octane 92 was not available and only higher priced Octane 95 petrol was available.
Pointing out that since the eruption of the Middle East conflict, on 28 February, the NPP had twice increased fuel prices on 09 and 22 March, Palitha said that the government could have cushioned the impact by lowering taxes imposed on crude oil and refined petroleum products. Instead, the latest price revisions resulted in further increase of customs duties, VAT and Port and Airport Development Levy. Additional duties often apply, such as a surcharge tax, on diesel and petrol.
Since the entry of Lanka IOC into the market in 2003, Sinopec in 2023 and R.M. Parks in 2025 eroded the CPC share and, at the moment, it was down to about 57%, and the private players accounted for the rest. Palitha placed the number of filling stations players authorised to operate at Ceypetco (836), Lanka IOC (274) and Sinopec and R.M. Parks 150 each.
Palitha said Lanka IOC has increased Petrol Octane 95 to Rs. 487 a litre whereas the CPC priced the same at Rs. 455) a litre. Lanka IOC and Ceypetco have priced a litre of Super diesel at Rs. 572 and Rs. 443, respectively.
LIOC has also revised its premium fuel categories, with Xtra Premium Petrol priced at Rs. 465, Xtra Mile at Rs. 551, and Xtra Green Diesel at Rs. 588.
Claiming that the government had twice increased the prices of old petroleum stocks, procured at a maximum USD 70 a barrel, weeks, if not months, before the new war, Palitha found fault with the Opposition for not launching a sustained campaign against the exploitation of the public. Palitha said that the increase of a litre of kerosene by Rs. 13 on 09 March and Rs. 60 on 22 March was unjustifiable. “The people do not know that kerosene is a by-product in the process of refining crude oil. Sapugaskanda produces LPG, naphtha, petrol, diesel, kerosene and furnace oil.”
The price of a litre of kerosene to had been increased to Rs 255, Palitha said, adding that it could have been provided to the needy at a much lower rate. If those who represent Parliament bothered to study the issues at hand, they would be able to challenge the government on this disgraceful manipulation of the entire country, he said.
Palitha said that the Parliament owed an explanation as to why the Commission to regulate the oil trade hadn’t been appointed and whether some interested parties financially benefited at the expense of the country.
Palitha said that the introduction of the QR code to control fuel sales and the increase of the fuel quota last Sunday night had been used to deceive the public when those in power and their friends in the industry made money at the expense of the public.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Sri Lanka is planning to fast-track the redevelopment of the Trincomalee oil tank farm as a long-term solution to its ongoing energy crisis, with backing from India and the United Arab Emirates, The Hindu has reported.
Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said the project, which involves restoring World War II-era oil storage facilities in the eastern district, is seen as a “permanent solution” to managing fuel supply challenges.
“Temporary solutions are not sustainable. We need a long-term strategy to deal with oil storage and distribution, given the global energy situation,” he told The Hindu.
The initiative follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed in April 2025 between Sri Lanka, India, and the UAE to develop Trincomalee as a regional energy hub.
Despite previous delays spanning decades, the project has gained renewed urgency amid the current global energy crisis, which has disrupted supply chains and driven up fuel costs.
Sri Lanka has already submitted a concept proposal to its partners, while technical aspects are being reviewed by the Energy Ministry before moving to the tender stage, according to the report.
The renewed push also marks a notable policy shift, as the ruling administration, led by the National People’s Power, had previously opposed Indian involvement in the project.
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