Demonstration in northern, eastern provinces of Sri Lanka over anti-terror bill

Sri Lanka’s main Tamil party Tamil National Alliance on Tuesday disrupted normal life in the country’s northern and eastern provinces against the draft of a controversial new anti-terror bill to replace a tough law to combat terrorism. The new Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) will replace the infamous Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) of 1979. The PTA was introduced in 1979 as a temporary arrangement to counter a campaign of separatist violence by Tamil minority militant groups.

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told reporters on April 1 that the new anti-terror law would be introduced later this month. Political sources in both the provinces said the protest was organized by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) against the new Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). Normal life was affected in North Jaffna as all shops and business establishments remained closed in three divisions of Thenmaratchi, Kodikkamam and Chavkacherry, he said. In mid-March, the government prepared a new bill to replace the PTA.

The PTA was widely used by government troops during the LTTE’s armed struggle over three decades to establish a separate Tamil homeland in the north and east of the country. International rights groups and Tamil parties have condemned the provisions of the PTA which allow arbitrary detention for years without charges being filed in courts. There have been instances of Tamils ​​being arrested without charge for more than 20 years for their involvement with the LTTE.

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