Category: News

Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), on Monday appealed to the public to contribute to a fund he described as a “National Charity” to support legal action on behalf of Buddhist monks facing defamation cases.

Addressing a press conference in Colombo, Gnanasara Thero said the donations would be channelled towards court proceedings aimed at securing what he termed justice for monks, including himself, who he claimed had been unfairly targeted.

“This is a national charity. These funds will be used to protect the national heritage and to ensure justice for monks who are defamed,” he said.

He stated that he had faced around 20 lawsuits for speaking out on issues relating to what he described as common heritage, adding that he would not wish such an experience on any adversary.

Gnanasara Thera further remarked that if former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa had provided financial assistance to the BBS, the current administration was free to investigate the matter.

He also accused sections of the public of “rewarding scoundrels” while failing to support those who, in his view, stood up for the nation.

The European Union (EU), which raised concerns about the proposed counter-terrorism bill has requested the government, among others, to narrow down its definition, an official familiar with the process said.

The Protection of the State from Terrorism Act (PSTA) is the proposed piece of legislation in Sri Lanka intended to replace the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) — a law first enacted in 1979 that has been widely criticised domestically and internationally for enabling human rights abuses, arbitrary detention, and repression of dissent.

The previous government led by Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe worked out the anti-terrorism bill. However, instead of this bill, the new government led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake introduced the PSTA and presented it for public consultation.

An official familiar with the evolution of PSTA said that the EU had sent a detailed response to be considered in the enactment of the new legislation in place of the PTA. The official said the EU, among others, wants the definition of terrorism to be narrowed in conformity with international standards.

Earlier, critics warned that the bill defines terrorism in very wide terms — for example including acts that intimidate the public or cause terror, which can be interpreted expansively and could risk criminalising peaceful protest, civil society actions, or political dissent. Like the PTA, the draft PSTA permits extended detention without charge, extraordinary arrest powers, and expanded executive authority, though under a new legal armoury. These provisions have raised alarms that the law could be used to detain individuals arbitrarily.

The Justice Ministry is currently in the process of narrowing down the definition listing offences to reach the threshold of terrorism according to international norms.

The repeal of the current PTA to be replaced with a new counter terrorism law that conforms to international standards has been stressed by the EU for Sri Lanka to qualify for the GSP + trade scheme under the revised criterion.

The Cambridge Union has cancelled a scheduled speaking engagement featuring Namal Rajapaksa following sustained pressure from sections of the Tamil diaspora in the United Kingdom.

The decision was announced after what the Union described as “urgent and serious discussions.” In a statement, it said it did not believe “a balanced and open discussion on this subject” was possible at present.

The invitation had prompted coordinated opposition from Tamil student organisations across the UK. The groups accused both the Cambridge Union Society and the Oxford Union of providing a platform to a representative of the Rajapaksa political family, whom they hold responsible for alleged wartime abuses during the final phase of Sri Lanka’s armed conflict.

Among the allegations cited by campaigners were the shelling of civilian-designated “No-Fire Zones,” enforced disappearances, and systematic sexual violence.

While the Cambridge event has been called off, Rajapaksa remains scheduled to address the Oxford Union on 25 February.

Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne today announced in Parliament the appointment of a select committee under the chairmanship of Minister Vijitha Herath to look into the holding of the Provincial Councils elections.

MPs Muneer Mulaffer, Sunil Watagala, Arun Hemachandra, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Mano Ganesan, Lakshman Nipunarachchi, Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, Samanmalee Gunasinghe, Dharamapriya Liyanage, Chandana Sooriarachchi and Nizam Kariyappar are the other members of the committee.

The committee will be responsible for determining which system the election should be held under and on proposed amendments to the Provincial Councils Amendment Bill.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam says he strongly opposed an attempt in Parliament to include Provincial Council elections under a new parliamentary select committee tasked with reviewing election laws.

In a statement, the MP said a parliamentary select committee on Provincial Councils already exists and has been given a three-month timeframe to submit its report. Creating another committee to examine the same issue would lead to legal confusion and potentially delay the long-overdue Provincial Council elections, he said.

Rasamanickam warned that if two separate committees were to submit reports on the same electoral system, Parliament could face uncertainty over which set of recommendations to adopt.

He also raised concerns that establishing a new committee with a one-year timeframe could be used as a pretext to further postpone Provincial Council elections.

“For that reason, I firmly objected to allowing such a move,” he said.

Following what he described as intense debate between government and opposition members, Rasamanickam said he made it clear that agreement could only be reached if references to Provincial Councils were removed from the proposal.

He said the proposal ultimately moved forward only after the Provincial Council component was taken out, limiting the scope of the new committee to other electoral systems.

The MP further expressed surprise at what he described as the government’s willingness to accommodate an opposition request for a select committee, despite what he said were clear risks of further delays.

Provincial Council elections in Sri Lanka have been postponed since 2018, with repeated calls from political parties and civil society groups to conduct the polls without further delay.