TELO Raises Concerns with British High Commissioner Over Proposed Legislation

31-Oct-2026

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Tamil representatives have expressed concern to the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka that the proposed legislation to protect the State from terrorism and the proposed law to prevent organised crime could be used to suppress the voices and legitimate demands of the Tamil people if enacted.

A meeting between British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Andrew Patrick and Selvam Adaikalanathan, leader of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) and Member of Parliament, was held in Colombo on October 30.

TELO Deputy Leader and Spokesperson Guruswamy Surendran also attended the meeting.

During the discussion, the Tamil representatives particularly highlighted the potential threats that the proposed legislation to protect the State from terrorism and the proposed law to prevent organised crime could pose to the country as a whole, especially its minority communities, if enacted by Parliament.

They also briefed the High Commissioner on the longstanding demands of the Tamil people in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. These included a permanent political solution, the release of occupied lands, justice and accountability for enforced disappearances and war crimes, an effective judicial mechanism to address human rights violations and genocide, and the immediate conduct of the long-delayed Provincial Council elections.

The representatives pointed out that the proposed laws could be used to suppress protests organised in support of these demands and to target individuals advocating for them.

They further expressed concern that, while international human rights organisations, including the United Nations Human Rights Council, have consistently called for the complete repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), the Government is instead seeking to replace it with legislation that could be even more dangerous. They warned that such a move would have adverse consequences for both the Tamil community and the country as a whole.

The representatives also pointed out that the Government's continued delay in conducting Provincial Council elections has left Tamil-majority areas without elected provincial administrative structures, creating opportunities for State institutions to acquire lands and facilitate illegal settlements.

They also raised concerns over the continued failure to release all occupied lands in the North, the ongoing Mayilathamadu-Madhavanai grazing land dispute, and the day-to-day difficulties faced by people due to economic pressures.