Govt must honour commitments to the EU - SJB

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) in a statement on Monday said the People of Sri Lanka stand to lose the vital support of the European Union (EU) because the Government has failed to honour its commitments.

Commenting on the recent EU Resolution, the SJB stated it was yet another foreign policy failure of the Government.

“The Government has failed to introduce any meaningful processes to revise the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) or replace it with a law that is compatible with international best practices. Instead of reforming the PTA, it has exacerbated the crisis by introducing regulations that further expand its scope. We note that these new regulations permit authorities to place suspects in so-called rehabilitation programmes without the need to lead any evidence of wrongdoing before a competent court,” the statement read.

Observing that Sri Lanka stands to lose its GSP+ status following this Resolution, the SJB pointed out that many Sri Lankan exporters, specifically in the garments industry, have benefited greatly as a direct result of the tariff concessions offered under this facility.

“The Government succeeded in regaining GSP+ concessions in 2017 only based on solemn commitments to repeal or amend the problematic provisions of the PTA, or replace the PTA with a new counter-terrorism law,” the SJB stated.

The SJB stated that it has repeatedly raised concerns with respect to the rapid deterioration of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, and the discriminatory policies of the Government.

“We have denounced the targeting of lawyers, media personnel, environmental activists and government servants for their legitimate criticism of the Government. The Government is attempting to further curtail democratic freedoms through the introduction of laws to curb so-called disinformation. We see these as nothing more than a cynical attempt to further suppress the People’s freedom of expression. We have also condemned the government’s failure to uncover the real masterminds behind the Easter Sunday Attacks, and have repeatedly called for thorough and impartial investigations into the Attacks,” the statement noted.