After Ranil Wickremesinghe became the eighth President, the National People’s Power (NPP) lawyers emphasize that the suppression of political opponents by using the Prevention of Terrorism Act should be defeated.
They emphasized this in a press conference held yesterday (22). The following is an excerpt of the views that the Colombo District Secretary of the organization, Dhanushki Liyanapatbandi, Attorney-at-Law, expressed at the meeting.
This press conference is being held as the lawyers of the NPP to present facts about repressive activities including arrests using the Prevention of Terrorism Act. The government continues to propagate that the country cannot be developed due to the struggle and that it is the cause of the existing problems. But in March 2020, the rulers did not take proper measures regarding the spread of the covid epidemic. They did not accept the advice of health experts. Necessary financial provisions were not deployed. The army was deployed and the repression started. Farmers’ uprising against the organic fertilizer policy, shortage of food, fuel and gas, shortage of milk powder and unlimited rise in commodity prices continued. Amidst all this, the Act regarding the Kotalawala Defense Faculty was passed. University students, lecturers and civil activists started protesting with all this. As another step, the protests that started in Mirihan on March 31 are still going on without a solution.
The Article 27 of the Constitution states as to how the public should be protected from state policies. Freedom to enjoy basic rights, equal opportunities for all citizens, development of the country, creation of a righteous system in the form of distribution of economic products to the entire population, and special attention to children and youth are mentioned. The government is entrusted with the full responsibility of taking care of children’s physical and mental development. But school students faint and fall. There is a state of decline in physical and mental development. University education is also not done properly. Industries are closing, and people are losing their jobs. The only solution in this situation is to take to the streets and fight fairly. We must defeat the attempt to launch repression against it.
