The Cabinet approved the withdrawal of the proposed Terrorism Prevention Bill. The Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act No. 48 of 1979 will remain unchanged, Information and Communication Technology, Higher Education, Technology and Innovations and Co-Cabinet Spokesman Bandula Gunawardana said.
Addressing the weekly Cabinet press briefing at the Government Information Department Auditorium in Colombo on Friday, he said that the proposal was presented by Foreign Affairs Minister Dinesh Gunawardana to withdraw proposed Terrorism Prevention Bill. The proposed bill brought in by the previous UNP regime was a fatal blow to democracy in Sri Lanka.
According to Minister Gunawardana, all types of freedom were restricted by the proposed Bill, and it was aimed at pampering terrorism and terrorists while suppressing people and legal bodies in the country, such as trade unions. There were lots of protests against the Bill during the previous UNP regime.
Minister Gunawardana said that the then Justice Minister did not take the responsibility of presenting the Bill in Parliament and it was done by the then Foreign Minister Thilak Marapana.