• Public Security Min. says new laws to be introduced to deal with lone wolf/group terror or extremism   

The Ministry of Public Security stated that the Government would move towards repealing the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act as amended (PTA), but would introduce new laws to deal with individuals and groups that are engaged in terrorist or extremist activities.

A committee was recently appointed by the Ministry of Justice to look into the repealing of the PTA.

When queried by The Daily Morning as to whether the Government, in the event of repealing the PTA, would introduce new legislation to address terrorism and extremism, the Minister of Public Security, Ananda Wijepala said that although the PTA is currently still in use — with the Police making arrests under its provisions — the Government had no interest in retaining it. "The Police is making arrests under it because the Act is still in force. They cannot refuse to apply an existing law when it is necessary to charge someone for fair reasons. The Minister of Justice (attorney Harshana Nanayakkara) is currently working on the process to repeal it. However, we will not tolerate any attempts to incite racial or religious hatred that could destabilise the country. If the existing laws are not enough to address terrorism and extremism, we will introduce new ones." he added.

The PTA, introduced in 1979 as a temporary measure to address attempts to topple the Government, became permanent in 1982. The law has disproportionately affected minorities, allowing prolonged detention without charge and violating international due process-related standards. Despite Government assurances to reform the PTA, meaningful changes have not been implemented. Concerned parties have claimed that the amendments gazetted in January 2021 failed to address key flaws, and that the Act continues to enable arbitrary arrests, unfair trials, and the risk of torture.