Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa today (Apr 02) said that talks will be held with other political parties regarding the implementation of the Counter Terrorism Bill which is to be presented in Parliament.
Speaking during a meeting with the heads of media institutions today, Mr. Rajapaksa insisted that it was the responsibility of the media to reflect the the public's protest against replacing the Prevention of Terrorism act with the proposed Counter Terrorism Bill.
During the meeting, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Chairman Professor G.L. Peris pointed out that the enactment of such a bill would mean that trade union actions, and protests would be deemed as an act of terrorism.
On the same lines, he claimed that individuals who engage in such protests will be subjected to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment. Further, Professor Peiris said that Ministers will be able to prevent protest demonstrations against their respective ministries if the counter-terrorism bill was passed in the House.
Mr. Peiris observed that media freedom would also be curbed if this bill was passed, since journalists would be barred from coverages.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Rajapaksa said that the seven days provided by the government to move court against such bills were insufficient since these proposals would be put forward before Parliament on Friday. Accordingly, he noted that this period would be extended after the next government comes into power.
A Thai woman walking topless in Arugam Bay town has been arrested by the Police.
The UK government has unveiled a package of reforms to simplify imports from developing countries which allows for more garments manufactured in Sri Lanka to enter the UK tariff-free.
The Cabinet has approved a proposal for Sri Lankans overseas to apply for their passports through an online system via the Lankan diplomatic missions.
Villagers in Nirmalapura, Daluwa, Norochcholai today staged a protest over an incident where a group of Navy officials and sailors had assaulted a resident in the area over night, Police said.
A passenger attempting to smuggle the largest quantity of gold of 35 kilo grams was arrested by the Customs at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) today, a senior official said.
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