CPA Comms Officer on 5 April, 2022 5th April 2022: As thousands of civilians flock to the streets across the Island in protest of the Rajapaksha regime’s mishandling and mismanagement of Sri Lanka’s economy and Government, CPA deems it of vital importance to clearly state its official standpoint in regard to the state of crisis in Sri Lanka and the public outcry […]
CPA Comms Officer on 4 April, 2022 “The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) is gravely disturbed by news reports of the Police not providing information on citizens who have been arrested/ detained. In order to ensure all citizens are aware of their legal rights, CPA has prepared this short question and answer document. The document explains the rights of those arrested/ detained […]
CPA Comms Officer on 10 March, 2022 Message from the Executive Director The year 2020 was dominated by the Covid 19 pandemic, the efforts to manage it and the repercussions thereof. In Sri Lanka, it was effectively the first year of the Gotabaya Rajapaksa presidency – won in November 2019 with 6.9 million votes to be followed by the General Election in […]
Centre for Policy Alternatives on 24 February, 2022 24th February 2022: The Scope and Content of the Sri Lankan Constitution: Perspectives of Opinion Leaders comprises a summary of findings that assesses the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of leaders from the four main ethnic communities (Sinhala, Tamil, Up Country Tamil and Muslim) across the island. These leaders included religious leaders, government officials, office holders of community-based organizations, teachers […]
Centre for Policy Alternatives on 10 February, 2022 CPA’s commentary on the proposed amendments to the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act note the minimalist approach and basic reforms insufficient to address ground realities. Aspects which require urgent reform as highlighted by legal scholars, civil society actors and even the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka have also not been addressed in the Bill. […]
Centre for Policy Alternatives on 15 November, 2021 15th November, 2021: The 20th amendment to the Constitution that was passed into law on the 22nd of October 2020 provided wide sweeping powers to the executive that further endangered the crippling democratic space prevalent in the country. Furthermore, the pandemic and its limitations have enabled the government to continue with its autocratic rule and […]
Centre for Policy Alternatives on 14 October, 2021 14th October, 2021, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) is deeply concerned about the proposed Bill to amend the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, published in the Gazette on the 8th of October 2021. The proposed amendments seek to dispense with the requirement of producing a suspect or accused before the Magistrate […]