National People’s Power to meet IMF delegation today

The National People’s Power (NPP) is expected to meet the visiting team of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday (14 March).

According to Sunil Handunnetti, a member of the NPP’s Economic Council, the discussion will focus on addressing the economic pressures and burden imposed on the people of the country by the government.

In a separate development, Human Rights Watch has urged the IMF to request the Sri Lankan government to withdraw the proposed Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) (Registration and Supervision) Bill and to ban of the Online Safety Act.

In a letter addressed to the IMF, Human Rights Watch further emphasized the need to request the Government of Sri Lanka to amend the Anti-Terrorism Bill, so as to ensure compliance with human rights standards.

The organization stressed the importance of removing bills that significantly impede civil society and disrupt the IMF program in the country. Additionally, Human Rights Watch urged the IMF to publicly call on the Sri Lankan government to amend the proposed bills to safeguard the credibility and effectiveness of its program in Sri Lanka.