1. President Ranil Wickremesinghe proposes a Cabinet paper to form a committee tasked with assessing threats to Presidential candidates and former Presidents, aimed at enhancing their safety during the upcoming elections: The plan, outlined by the President’s Media Division, includes appointing a Deputy Inspector General of Police to oversee security arrangements for this purpose.
   
2. The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) raises concerns over a recent meeting between senior United National Party (UNP) members and Election Commission officials, calling for transparency: SJB MP Mayantha Dissanayake notes although the Election Commission will set the election date, details of the meeting are unclear: mentions speculation about the 2024 Presidential election potentially featuring two Cabinet members as candidates.
   
3. JVP Chief Secretary Tilvyn Silva accuses Ranil Wickramasinghe and his team of creating doubts amongst the public to avoid facing the presidential election, asserting they know they cannot win: criticises attempts to delay elections through constitutional amendments, emphasising that the Election Commission holds the responsibility and power to conduct the election, not Wickramasinghe or the government.
   
4. Finance State Minister Shehan Semasinghe anticipates Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves will exceed US $5 bn by year-end, driven by robust tourism growth: With over 85,000 tourist arrivals in early July and nearly 1.1 mn in 2024, Semasinghe credits tourism for bolstering reserves: highlights the sector’s vital role in economic recovery and proposes initiatives like the Colombo Airport Super Draw lottery to further stimulate economic activity and consumer spending.
   
5. International human rights watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticises Sri Lanka for continuing to use the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to target perceived opponents and minority communities without credible evidence, despite promises to end such practices: laments the law allows for extended detention without adequate judicial oversight, contributing to arbitrary detention and torture of individuals: reminds efforts to replace the PTA with the Anti-Terrorism Bill (ATB) have raised concerns due to potential provisions that could facilitate abuse: International pressure to repeal the PTA persists amid ongoing human rights violations.
   
6. Sri Lanka’s economic performance in Q1 2024 exceeds projections from the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) by the Asian Development Bank (ADB): Inflation forecasts for South Asia have been adjusted, with Sri Lanka’s revised down significantly to below 2%: Regional growth forecasts remain stable, though uncertainties linked to upcoming elections impact Sri Lanka’s growth outlook for 2024 and 2025.
   
7. The Wildlife Department reports illegal fishing methods, such as bottom trawling, are causing the deaths of marine animals like turtles and dolphins in Sri Lankan waters: Ten dead turtles were found on the western coast last week, with postmortem exams revealing injuries and breathing difficulties: The department urges public vigilance and reporting of illegal fishing to protect marine life.
   
8. Sri Lankan film directors, led by Jayantha Chandrasiri, are calling for a ban on mobile phones in cinemas after a film was illegally recorded and uploaded to social media: urge cinema owners to adopt this measure and request the Sri Lanka Film Corporation to issue a directive: A 24-year-old man from Kandy was arrested for uploading the film “Sinhabahu” to YouTube.
   
9. The Mahāvansha chronicles, Sri Lanka’s primary historical records, housed at Peradeniya University Library, have been recognised as a world heritage: UNESCO’s Director-General presented the certificate to the university’s Chancellor, Professor G.H. Peiris, and received a memento from Vice-Chancellor Professor M.D. Lamawansa: The Mahāvansha, starting with Prince Vijaya’s arrival in 543 BCE, is a crucial historical document.
   
10. Dilshan Madushanka was fined 10% of his match fee and received a demerit point for breaching Article 2.5 of the LPL Code of Conduct during a game between Dambulla Sixers and Galle Marvels on July 14th: admits to using language, actions, or gestures that could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal.

July 18, Colombo (LNW): The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has expressed concerns over a recent gathering involving senior members of the United National Party (UNP) and officials from the Election Commission.

SJB MP Mayantha Dissanayake highlighted the necessity for transparency regarding the discussions held between the UNP General Secretary, the Chairman, and members of the Election Commission, especially given the public calls by UNP leaders for early Presidential elections.

Dissanayake noted that although the Election Commission will eventually set the election date, the exact details of the meeting remain unclear and are anticipated to be disclosed in the near future.

Moreover, the SJB MP emphasised that the forthcoming 2024 Presidential election could be unprecedented, potentially featuring two members from the same Cabinet as candidates.

He alluded to speculation surrounding the current President’s candidacy, which is yet to be officially announced, and mentioned expectations that Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapakshe might also contest under an SLFP-led alliance.

Hence, the 2024 Presidential election could see a unique scenario with two Cabinet members competing for the presidency, he added.

July 18, Colombo (LNW): The Court of Appeal has today granted bail to General Secretary of Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) Galaboda Atte Gnanasara Thera, pending the outcome of his appeal.

Gnanasara Thera had been sentenced to serve four-years of rigorous imprisonment by the Colombo High Court on 28 March for delivering a speech that insulted the religious beliefs of the Muslim community.

He has now been released on a cash bail of Rs.50,000, along with two sureties of Rs.500,000 each.

Previously, the Colombo High Court had denied the bail application for the Thera, stating that no exceptional circumstances had been presented to justify his release on bail.

Legal representation for Gnanasara Thera was provided by Anil Silva PC, along with Counsels Iresh Seneviratne, Sanjaya Ariyadasa, and Sanjaya Marambe.

July 18, Colombo (LNW): The collection of books containing the ‘Mahāvansha’ (also spelled Mahāvaṃsa) chronicles, the primary historical records of Sri Lanka, housed in the Peradeniya University Library, has been officially recognised as a world heritage.

The Director-General of UNESCO graced the ceremony as the chief guest.

The certificate declaring the Mahāvansha as a world heritage was presented to the Chancellor of Peradeniya University, Professor G.H. Peiris, by the UNESCO Director-General.

In recognition of her visit, Vice-Chancellor Professor M.D. Lamawansa presented a memento to the Director-General.

The University Librarian, Dr. M. Maheshvaran, was also present at the event.

The Mahāvansha is a detailed record of Sri Lanka’s history up to the time of King Mahasena of Anuradhapura. Composed in the style of an epic poem in the Pali language, it chronicles the island’s history from its mythical origins through the reign of King Mahasena.

The narrative begins with the arrival of Prince Vijaya from India in 543 BCE and has been updated by various authors over time.

Initially compiled by the Buddhist monk Mahanama at the Mahavihara temple in Anuradhapura during the 5th or 6th century CE, it remains a vital historical document.

July 18, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lankan film directors are urging a ban on mobile phones in cinemas following a recent incident where a film was illegally recorded and uploaded to social media.

Teledrama and film director Jayantha Chandrasiri addressed the media, emphasising the necessity of banning mobile phones in cinemas to safeguard the efforts and financial returns of film producers.

Chandrasiri called on cinema owners to implement this measure and urged the Sri Lanka Film Corporation to issue an official directive on the matter.

He highlighted that, internationally, audiences are prohibited from bringing cameras or mobile phones into stage plays, a practice that should be adopted in Sri Lankan cinemas as well.

These comments were made in response to the recent illegal recording and uploading of the film ‘Sinhabahu’ on social media.

A 24-year-old man from Kandy has been arrested for illegally recording and uploading the film, which was directed by Somaratne Dissanayake, the President of the Film Directors Guild of Sri Lanka, to YouTube.

July 18, New York (Human Rights Watch): Sri Lankan authorities continue to use the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to target perceived opponents and minority communities without credible evidence to support the allegations despite repeated pledges to end the practice, Human Rights Watch said today. While some victims have suffered years of arbitrary detention and torture, others are persecuted even after the case against them is dropped. 

The law, widely known as the PTA, has provisions allowing for extended administrative detention, limited judicial oversight, and inadequate protections against torture. In a 2022 speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council, the then foreign minister pledged a moratorium on its use, but under President Ranil Wickremesinghe, detentions under the PTA have continued. Such is the chilling effect of the law that in September 2023 the International Monetary Fund found that “broad application of counter-terrorism rules” restricts civil society scrutiny of official corruption.

“Sri Lanka’s extensive domestic security apparatus routinely uses baseless accusations of terrorism to target innocent people, silencing critics and stigmatizing minority communities,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Previous international pressure has led to modest improvements, and Sri Lanka’s foreign partners should renew their call to repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act.” 

Following government promises to repeal the PTA since 2015, draft legislation to replace it, known as the Anti-Terrorism Bill (ATB), was published in March 2023. While the new bill contains some improvements, it includes provisions that could facilitate abuse. 

Since it first came into force in 1979, the PTA has primarily been used to target members of the Tamil minority during a separatist war led by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which was defeated in 2009. While many long-term PTA prisoners have been released in recent years, in part due to international pressure by the European Union and others, at least eight who were first detained between 1996 and 2011 remain in prison.

In November 2023, police in the eastern town of Batticaloa arrested nine people under the law for commemorating the war dead. They were released on bail a month later, but one of those detained told Human Rights Watch that he remains under intense surveillance and his family has lost its income because of the case.

A former LTTE child soldier said that she was arrested under the PTA in 2019 and held for three years. Because she was a minor at the end of the war, she had been placed in the care of the Red Cross instead of being sent to government “rehabilitation” with adult combatants. She believes that the ongoing surveillance and harassment is because security agencies regard her as “unrehabilitated.” She said: “I am afraid. I don’t know who is watching me.” 

Human Rights Watch also interviewed a man who was among several arrested under the PTA in 2019 after receiving financial support from the Tamil diaspora, which the Sri Lankan authorities sometimes construe as “terrorist financing.” “We don’t know why we were arrested,” he said. “The PTA allows them to keep us without any reason.” He faced abuse in prison, including threats at gunpoint by a government minister. Following his release three years later, he still faces intense police harassment. “My freedom of movement is restricted. People are afraid to give me a job.”

Following the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, when Islamist suicide bombers targeted churches and hotels, killing over 260 people, the authorities detained at least 125 Muslims in the eastern town of Kattankudy under the PTA. Little or no evidence was produced against most of them, a lawyer familiar with the situation told Human Rights Watch. Most spent between one and three years in detention and were then either discharged altogether or released on bail. Twenty-four are facing trial in a proceeding that is expected to continue for years. 

Former detainees from this group told Human Rights Watch that they had experienced torture and ill treatment in custody, and that the police had made extortion demands on their families for their release. 

Following their release due to lack of evidence, they said they had received frequent threatening home visits or phone calls and are under surveillance by security agencies. They have been unable to access banking services, obtain passports, or operate their businesses. “They can’t go abroad for work,” said an activist who works with the community. “They can’t live freely in peace with their families.” In many cases, children have been forced by hardship to drop out of school. 

A man who had been held under the PTA for about a year, then discharged, said that while there is a tradition of charitable giving in the Muslim community, security officials warn others not to help affected families, and people are afraid to do so for fear that they may be accused of supporting terrorism.

Numerous human rights defenders in the Northern and Eastern provinces said that members of police and intelligence agencies routinely warn that they will be accused of terrorism because of their work. “If we talk of Tamil rights, they use the PTA to silence us, saying we are working to reorganize the LTTE,” said an activist in the Northern Province. 

Another rights activist, who works on several PTA cases, said in May 2024, “Just yesterday a [police] CID person called me and said, ‘Where are you? What are you doing?’ They oppress us because they want to stop the information we can provide from reaching the international community.” 

Like the PTA, the draft law to replace it appears designed to give the president, police, and military broad powers to detain people without evidence, to make vaguely defined forms of speech a criminal offense, and to arbitrarily ban gatherings and organizations without meaningful judicial oversight. 

It would expand the definition of terrorism to include crimes such as property damage, and restrict rights to freedom of assembly and speech. It would give the police and military sweeping powers to stop, question, search, and arrest anyone without a warrant, and allow the attorney general to “impose” “voluntary” custodial “rehabilitation” on a person who has not been convicted of any crime.

Recommendations

• The government should impose a full moratorium on the PTA and work to repeal it.
• The authorities should draft rights respecting counterterrorism legislation in consultation with experts and civil society.
• Foreign partners including the United States, EU, and UK should insist that Sri Lanka abides by commitments to repeal the law.
• The UN Human Rights Council should renew the mandates of resolution 46/1 for reporting and investigating human rights violations in Sri Lanka.

“For many Sri Lankans, baseless allegations of terrorism and sweeping powers provided by the PTA remain the most frightening and unaccountable method of repression,” Ganguly said. “Foreign governments seeking to support improved governance and respect for human rights should prioritize action to end the Sri Lankan government’s misuse of counterterrorism powers.”

Human Rights Watch