July 7, 2022
Read this article in English | සිංහල| தமிழ்
Research by Umesh Moramudali Edited by Aisha Nazim Translated by Nishadi Gunatilake & Kesavan Selvarajah
On 20 June, police arrested youth activist Anuruddha Bandara while he was recording them arresting a group of activists near GotaGoGama. According to Bandara, the police claimed he was arrested for unlawful assembly and obstruction of duty. He was released on bail when produced before the magistrate’s court.
The police is empowered by law to arrest individuals if they obstruct the police from their duties. There is no specific reference to live streaming or recording as the laws were introduced prior to the days of smartphones. Once arrested, the accused should be produced before a magistrate’s court within 24 hours (there are a few exceptions, of course.) If there is no or too little evidence to show any obstruction of police duties, or that the person was part of an unlawful assembly, the person ought to be discharged; and the case against him dismissed.
If there is some material, the magistrate can either permit further investigation or fix the case for trial straightaway. The magistrate will also decide whether to grant bail or not, depending on the material provided.
The police is required to inform individuals of the reason/s for their arrest, at the time of the arrest: this is within the individual’s rights (Article 13 of the Constitution). The law also secures every person's right to be represented by an attorney-at-law, even when at the police station. Every person has the right to demand such.
Clarifications on legal issues here provided by Ermiza Tegal, Attorney-at-Law.
Sri Lanka’s debt to China is also often misreported. There are reports that state that Sri Lanka’s debt to Chinese creditors amounts to 10% of the total government foreign debt. Another report stated that it is 15%. However, our analysis shows that as of the end of 2021, Sri Lanka’s debt to Chinese creditors was 20% of the government's foreign debt.
<aside> 👉🏽 According to data from the External Resource Department (ERD), as at the end of 2021, the total debt to China was USD 7.1 billion while total government foreign debt was USD 35.8 billion.
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