The Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) will be completely abolished before September.

The government has decided to completely abolish the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), currently in force in the country, before the upcoming September. Instead, a new act aimed at curbing the drug menace and various crimes is scheduled to be passed.

Government sources report that the preliminary work on this new draft bill, named the "Organized Crime Suppression Act," has already been completed.

Last week, a special discussion was held under the chairmanship of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, attended by the Minister of Justice and heads of security forces. During the discussion, the President pointed out that although terrorism, which plagued the country for a long time, has ended, the country is currently suffering due to organized crime. He stated that while it is essential to suppress traffickers who illegally transfer money out of the country and organized crime gangs, the provisions of existing general laws are insufficient for this purpose, hence this new act is being introduced.

Although the current Prevention of Terrorism Act allowed for broad interpretations leading to the arrest of individuals, the new legal system will limit such discretionary arrests. The President further mentioned that this new act will operate within a specific, confined scope, targeting only organized crime and drug traffickers, without causing any harm to the democratic rights of the public.

This law, initially introduced in 1978 as a temporary measure with the aim of suppressing terrorist activities in the then Northern Province, was later made a permanent law in 1982 under the name Prevention of Terrorism Act. International human rights organizations as well as local mass organizations have continuously criticized various governments, alleging that this act, which has been in force for nearly fifty years, has been used by rulers to suppress political opponents.