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Dissanayake vows to repeal PTA, again
Dissanayake vows to repeal PTA, again by Thusiyan
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Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake has once again pledged to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act, claiming the law will be abolished before the end of the year, even as his government prepares new legislation on organised crime.
Addressing parliament on Wednesday, Dissanayake said the draconian law, first introduced as a temporary measure in 1979, had remained in force for 46 years despite sustained calls for its repeal.
“The PTA was brought as a temporary law in 1979, but has remained in force over the past 46 years. There have been strong calls
Sri Lanka’s president urges Buddhist revival
Sri Lanka’s president urges Buddhist revival by Thusiyan
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Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake used his Poson Full Moon Poya Day message to call for the revival of Buddhist values, as he moved to further position himself alongside the islands powerful Buddhist clergy.
Marking the Buddhist festival, Dissanayake said that it was on a Poson day that Buddhism was brought to the island, describing it as a moment that sparked both "a spiritual awakening and a far-reaching social transformation".
He went on to describe how Buddhism shaped Sri Lanka’s cultural, social and political order.