By The Pulseline News Desk
The Government is prepared to make several changes to the controversial Prevention of Organised Crime Draft Bill, including reducing the proposed detention period from 72 hours to 48 hours and removing provisions relating to tattoos and offences under the Excise Ordinance, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced.
Addressing a special interfaith convention held on Thursday (5) to mark the completion of one year of the national anti-drug operation, “Ratama Ekata”, the President has said the Government was willing to reconsider provisions that had attracted criticism and incorporate proposed changes into the legislation.
The proposed reduction in the detention period follows concerns raised over the 72-hour provision, which critics have questioned on human rights grounds.
“There have been proposals that this is too long. We are willing to amend it and reduce the period to 48 hours. We are ready to listen to such concerns,” Dissanayake has said.
The Government is also prepared to remove the provision relating to tattoos, which was originally included as a mechanism to identify members of organised criminal groups.
The President has said that although tattoos could serve as an identification mechanism, the Government was willing to drop the provision if it was considered unnecessary in the Sri Lankan context.
In addition, provisions relating to offences under the Excise Ordinance will be removed from the proposed legislation, he has announced.
Government open to further amendments
Dissanayake has said the Government was prepared to engage with human rights organisations and consider their concerns and recommendations before finalising the legislation.
He has stressed that the Government had no intention of using the proposed law to suppress the public or violate fundamental rights.
The President has acknowledged that he and his political associates had opposed the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) for many years and had personally experienced its consequences.
He has said the Government did not consider the PTA an appropriate legal instrument for dealing with organised crime, although a separate law was necessary to address organised criminal networks.
The President has noted that the proposed Bill was currently before the Supreme Court following legal challenges and that the Government was willing to consider the concerns raised during the process.
The proposed changes indicate that the Government is prepared to revise three key areas of the draft legislation: the maximum detention period, the identification of suspects through tattoos and the inclusion of offences under the Excise Ordinance.
The extent to which these changes will be incorporated into the final legislation will become clearer as the Government proceeds with the legal and parliamentary processes.
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