President faces criticism for summoning armed forces to maintain public order

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s decision to re-issue a gazette notification summoning the armed forces for the maintenance of public order has sparked criticism from human rights activists. This practice, which has been in place since the Easter Sunday attacks during President Maithripala Sirisena’s tenure, has been continued by successive governments.

Former Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) member Ambika Satkunanathan expressed her disappointment over the decision on social media platform X. She criticised the move, stating, “Deeply disappointing that President Anura Kuma Dissanayake has used Section 12 of the Public Security Ordinance to call out the armed forces to maintain public order. It is unnecessary and a continuation of the militarisation of policing.”

Satkunanathan further elaborated that Section 12 is a mechanism for maintaining a partial state of emergency without parliamentary approval, normalising the “state of exception” and allowing for the abusive use of executive powers. She called on the President to cancel the gazette immediately.

However, the decision has garnered support from some social media users who argue that with a General Election looming, maintaining public security is essential. They suggested that the deployment of the military may be discontinued following the Parliamentary Elections.

The gazette, issued yesterday, calls on members of the Sri Lanka Army, Navy, and Air Force to maintain public security in administrative districts and adjacent territorial waters.