Regulations on face veils moved in P’ment

MP Lakshman Kiriella 

By Ashwin Hemmathagama – Our Lobby Correspondent

Regulations made by the President under section five of the Pubic Securities Ordinance chapter 40, prohibiting to wear any garment, clothing, or other material concealing the full face, was moved yesterday in Parliament.

The regulations will amend the Emergency (Miscellaneous Provisions and Powers) Regulations No. 1 of 2019, published in Gazette Extraordinary No. 2120/5 of 5th April 2019.

Accordingly, no person can wear in any public place any garment, clothing, or such other material concealing the full face, which will in any manner cause any hindrance to the identification of a person. A public place has been defined as any public road, any building, any enclosed or open area, any vehicle, or any other mode of transportation. Full face means the whole face of a person including the ears, and “public road” includes any roadway over a public bridge, any pavement, drain, embankment or ditch belonging or appertaining to a public road. The regulations also bring in probation to engage in religious, extremist, or radical ideologies. Accordingly, it is prohibited to engage in preaching religious or any extremist or radical ideologies which glorifies, encourages, promotes, or espouses terrorism or specified terrorist activity. No person shall employ or engage the services of any non-citizen as an instructor, teacher, lecturer or in any other manner involved in instructing, teaching, or lecturing religious or any extremist or radical ideologies which glorifies, encourages, promotes or espouses terrorism or specified terrorist activity, or any educational activity connected to such religious, extremist, or radical ideologies which glorifies, encourages, promotes, or espouses terrorism or specified terrorist activity.

Minister of Public Enterprise, Kandyan Heritage and Kandy Development and Leader of the House of Parliament Lakshman Kiriella moved the motion.