Colombo, Sept 23 (NIA) – Sri Lanka’s main opposition, the Tamil National Alliance, on Friday welcomed the government’s announcement to release a group of political prisoners through the process of rehabilitation.
In a statement, the TNA said that in keeping with the promise given to Opposition Leader, R. Sampanthan and TNA legislator, M.A. Sumanthiran, by Justice Minister Wijayadasa Rajapaksa, Minister of Law and Order Sagala Rathnayaka, the Attorney General and other high officials, the TNA urged the government to continue this process of re-evaluation and release the rest of the political prisoners without delay.
Sri Lanka, on Wednesday, decided to offer rehabilitation to some suspects arrested under the controversial anti-terror law.
The Ministry of Resettlement and Rehabilitation said that the rehabilitation offer is being made to 23 of 96 minority Tamils arrested over alleged links to Tamil Tiger rebels.
Sri Lankan Tamil political parties, mainly the TNA, have been pushing for the release of suspects arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act during and soon after a 30 year between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the military.
Tamil political prisoners have also been staging fasts to protest over their detention, urging the government to release them.
The former Sri Lankan government used anti-terror laws to arrest Tamil Tiger rebel suspects and their supporters but the current government has said it will replace the laws while maintaining National security.
Opposition parliamentarians from minority parties have alleged that at least 300 political prisoners remain jailed in the island nation.
