Draft bill to repeal PTA to be gazetted next month - Foreign Minister

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath informed Parliament today (22) that the draft bill to repeal the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) will be published in the Government Gazette in the beginning of September.

“We will make the necessary amendments and finalize them before the end of this month, after which the gazette notification to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act will be published in early September,” the Minister stated.

He further emphasized that, although the PTA is still being applied to a limited extent in the country, it is not being used to target any ethnic or religious communities. 

“It is currently used to combat organized crime and underworld activities. The majority of those arrested under the PTA are not Tamils or Muslims, but Sinhalese individuals involved in drug-related and underworld crimes,” he clarified.

Acknowledging the long-standing criticism of the act, Minister Herath noted, “We accept that the PTA is a law that must be changed. Therefore, we are in the process of repealing it. There is no debate about that.”

Additionally, he added that a new bill would soon be introduced to specifically address organized crime and drug trafficking. 

“The PTA is being used at present due to shortcomings in the existing legal framework to deal with such criminals. We are now moving to replace it with clearer and more effective legislation,” he said.