The proposed Counter Terrorism Bill will make citizens of the country into slaves as it can be used to harass people, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith alleged today.
“This new legislation is more draconian than the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) which was enacted in 1987. A person could be held only for three months under the old legislation while a person could be held for a longer period under the new propose law,” Cardinal Ranjith told a meida briefing.
“Any MP who votes for this Bill will be branded as one who does not love his nation and her people,” he added.
“There is an internationally accepted definition on terrorism when it comes to legislations such as this. However the definition of terrorism in this particular Bill is wider and some harmless acts have been defined as acts of terror in this Bill. It provides provisions for the government to control protests through drastic measures,” he also said.(Yohan Perera)
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