ATB should be renamed State Terrorism Bill: Eran

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The Anti-Terrorism Bill (ATB) should be renamed the State Terrorism Bill (STB), Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Eran Wickramaratne said yesterday addressing a press conference in Colombo.

“Everyone is opposed to this Bill including some ministers. If passed, it will curtail civil liberties to a level we have not experienced before,” he said.

The ATB also significantly increases the power of the President, he said, adding that certain ideas of the Rehabilitation Bill, which was rejected by the Supreme Court recently, can be seen in the ATA.

“These will give the President powers to arbitrarily punish people.

There is a consensus that the powers enjoyed by the president are too high. He is still above the law despite various constitutional amendments. Ranil Wickremesinghe when he was in the opposition had called for the reducing of presidential powers. But now he has gathered a lot of power that no other President enjoyed,” he said.