Tuesday, 6 September 2011, 7:37

    We wish to share with you the following article from the Daily Mirror, written by Kelum Bandara.

    Asian Human Rights Commission

    Hong Kong

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


    AHRC-FAT-048-2011


    September 6, 2011

    An article from the Daily Mirror forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission

    SRI LANKA: TNA to legally challenge new laws

    SUNDAY, 04 SEPTEMBER 2011 23:00

    The Tamil National Alliance decided to legally challenge the regulations imposed under the Prevention of Terrorism Act on the principle that things done by the government under the state of emergency could not be done under a different legal regime, TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran said today.

    The government imposed these regulations on August 30, 2011 to keep the ban on the LTTE and the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation intact and to take action against terrorist suspects and surrendees in the context of emergency regulations being lifted. Mr. Sumanthiran told the Daily Mirror that what the government did under the state of emergency could not be done under a separate legal regime. "We will challenge the new regulations in a court of law soon. First, we have to see the contents of the new regulations," he said.

    The TNA MP said his party would oppose these regulations and the proposed Emergency Consequential Provisional Bill to be introduced in Parliament. Also, he said the government had failed to issue the gazette notification announcing these regulations, and therefore, there was no legal validity to them as of now. Responding to former Attorney General Mohan Peiris who said these regulations had been in force once they were announced, Mr. Sumanthiran said any law would be in force only after it was published. "It is a basic fact expected to be known even by a law student," he said. (Kelum Bandara)

    About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation that monitors human rights in Asia, documents violations and advocates for justice and institutional reform to ensure the protection and promotion of these rights. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.

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