The Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) is not part of the government’s policy or aspirations, but it will be used cautiously until a new law is introduced, Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake said in Parliament today (21).
“What is to be said about the PTA is that it is neither our aspiration nor policy. However, until a new law is drafted, the existing legislation must be used with extreme care. This is necessary until the government enacts new laws,” Rathnayake said.
He was responding to concerns raised in Parliament by Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Rauff Hakeem about the alleged misuse of the PTA, particularly regarding an incident involving Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP S. Sritharan.
Hakeem said that MP Sritharan was prevented from traveling to India recently, with immigration officers citing a travel ban. Hakeem argued that such a ban requires a court order, which was not in place. Following clarification, Sritharan was allowed to proceed with his journey, Hakeem said.
Responding to the concern, Rathnayake said that Immigration and Emigration officials have been instructed to investigate the matter and submit a report. The Deputy Minister of Defence has also been informed to look into the issue, the Leader of the House said.
Rathnayake expressing his regret for the inconvenience caused to MP Sritharan, said that the government was committed to ensure the privileges of the MP. “It is clear that this was not a misuse of the PTA in this instance. This is not what was communicated by him. So this is not an incident that was caused by a government decision or policy,” Rathnayake said. (Newswire)
