The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) today said that it is deeply concerned over Cabinet approval for a policy and legal framework relating to the proposed Counter-Terrorism Act.
“We have not been consulted on the terms of the draft framework, which has recently appeared in the press and appears to be a Cabinet memorandum approved on 25th April 2017.”
“We are shocked by the extent to which the draft framework curtails civil liberties, erodes judicial control over the state security apparatus and the staggering potential for abuse and torture,” TNA spokesman M A Sumanthiran said in a statement.
He stated that the TNA is unequivocally committed to supporting a legal framework that would prevent and punish acts of terrorism in a manner that is lawful, in compliance with fundamental rights and the rule of law.
To this end, he said that the Tamil party has engaged constructively in Parliament. “We are therefore deeply perturbed by the turn the government’s latest draft has taken.”
