Amid rising concerns over the deteriorating security situation on the island, Sri Lanka’s opposition parties convened a special meeting in Parliament yesterday, citing increasing risks to public life and the ability of lawmakers to perform their duties without fear.
The meeting, chaired by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, brought together several opposition party leaders who expressed alarm at what they described as a growing climate of insecurity. The leaders warned that this deterioration in the security environment was directly affecting their capacity to serve the public and raise critical issues in Parliament without facing repercussions.
During the discussion, opposition MPs including Tamil and Muslim leaders agreed that the threats they face - particularly when speaking out against the government - have intensified under the current administration led by Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake. They resolved to formally request that Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne summon both the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Director General of the Ministerial Security Division to Parliament for an urgent briefing on the matter.
Later that day, the group met with Speaker Wickramaratne in Parliament and submitted their concerns and proposals for improving security provisions, especially for members of the opposition who say they are being targeted for their political views.
Speaking in Parliament, MP Dayasiri Jayasekara reiterated these concerns, pointing to the recent withdrawal of police security provided to MPs - a move he attributed to the new government. He argued that the removal of these protections had left many parliamentarians vulnerable, particularly those who continue to voice strong criticism of the administration’s policies and conduct.
Jayasekara called on the government to immediately reinstate police protection for members of Parliament.
The security concerns come amid heightened political tensions across the island, with a spike in gun violence, murders and organised criminal activity. Premadasa earlier told Parliament there had been 79 shootings and 52 deaths in the past eight months alone.
The meeting comes after Sri Lanka’s Minister of Public Security, Ananda Wijepala, delivered a damning statement in Parliament, confirming that multiple senior politicians are linked to organised criminal syndicates, including groups involved in drug trafficking, contract killings, and international crime networks.
