Campaign to repeal PTA to be launched

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 July 2004, 09:23 GMT]
The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) and the Centre for Human Rights and Development (CHRD), which have their headquarters in Colombo, are to launch a campaign to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), which is in operation for the last 25 years.

"A public meeting to mark the 25th Anniversary of PTA which falls this year and to launch a campaign for its repeal is scheduled to be held on July 19th evening in the main auditorium of the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute (SLFI)", CPA and CHRD officials said in an invitation to all human rights organisations and activists in the country.

"The PTA was introduced in 1979 as a temporary measure, and was permanently enacted in 1982. During the last 25 years of its operation, the PTA has contributed enormously to the violation of human rights, the erosion of the independence of judiciary and norms of human rights standards. At the time of its introduction, it was criticized by human rights organizations locally and internationally, by political parties and trade unions in Sri Lanka, members of the legal community and civil society, as an undemocratic and draconian piece of legislation," said Dr.P.Saravanamuthu, Executive Director of the CPA and Mr.N. Kandasamy, Secretary of the CHRD in the invitation

They further state in their invitation, "in view of this experience, it is imperative that a determined campaign for the repeal of the PTA is launched. The above meeting is held to draw attention to and secure public consensus on the need for a campaign to repeal the PTA Act."

The Monday meeting will be conducted in all three languages, the organizers said.

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