ACMC commends appointing Advisory Committee under PTA

(FASTNEWS | COLOMBO) –  The All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) is happy to note the recent appointment of the Advisory Committee under Section 13 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), Senior Deputy Leader of the ACMC, N. M. Shaheid said today.

‘The PTA has been in operation since 1979 as a temporary provisions statute, and continues its operation in the same manner. Many people have become victims of the PTA but have not been able to express their grievances. The infamous case of Attorney General v Singarasa is one example of where notorieties under the PTA became globally exposed. Even today many people are suffering under the PTA, with no place to express their grievances’, Shaheid said.

Shaheid went on to express his gratitude to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for being the first President in Sri Lankan history to appoint an Advisory Committee under the PTA. He said that although the PTA always contained a clause about the said Advisory Committee, it has never been operational. He also expressed his gratitude to Justice Dileep Nawaz of the Supreme Court for advising the President on the appointment of the Committee.

The three-member Advisory Committee includes retired Chief Justice Asoka de Silva as the Chairman, Retired High Court Judge A. A. R. Heiyanthuduwa and Retired Solicitor General Suhada Gamlath. It is their responsibility to hear the grievances of those arrested under the PTA or their representatives and advise the President on such representations.

Shaheid commented on the three-member Advisory Committee by expressing his satisfaction at the membership. ‘Chief Justice Asoka de Silva remains one of the most respected members of the judiciary, and he is particularly recognized for his humanitarian nature and non-partisan views. I am confident his leadership will assist in securing the rights of those who have been victimised under the PTA’, he said.