• ‘We have no alternative to deal with terrorism’: Min.

The Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act as amended (PTA) will not be applied to any particular race, ethnicity or religion, but solely based on the context or specific incident, said Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa.

Speaking at the weekly Cabinet media briefing yesterday (15), he stated that such interpretations would be rejected by the Government as ‘misleading’. He added that arrests made under the Act would not target any particular religion or ethnic group. He made these comments in response to a question raised at the press conference regarding the alleged public perception that the PTA is used to ‘hunt’ Muslims and Tamils. He further stated that arrests would be made according to the specific context and events, and that detentions would follow accordingly. He also mentioned that the PTA is expected to be repealed once the committee appointed to review the Act completes its work. He noted that the authorities are currently in the process of amending the PTA, and said that the Government must continue to use the law until a new piece of legislation is passed to address the legal gap created by its repeal. “In every country, there are laws to address terrorism. Such laws are necessary. Therefore, at this point, we have no alternative to deal with terrorism if we repeal the PTA. If we do, we must introduce a new law to fill that gap. We are working on it,” he said.

The Ministry of Justice and National Integration has announced that a committee has been appointed to look into the repealing of the PTA. The committee is chaired by President’s Counsel Rienzie Arsecularatne and it was expected to begin public consultations in May.

The Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act as amended (PTA) will not be applied to any particular race, ethnicity or religion