Ranil raps Govt. for misleading P’ment on NGOs; questions role of intelligence service
Thursday, 24 July 2014 00:16
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Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday rapped the Government for misleading the House by providing false information on NGOs in the absence of a legal framework for intelligence services role.
Raising a series of issues under Section 23 (2) of the Standing Orders, Wickremesinghe wanted the Government to identify the intelligence service which raised the alarm over alleged unfavourable NGO activities.
He said the Government must define the so-called “impact on the security of the State,” the criteria the intelligence services had applied in coming to this conclusion, the procedure adopted to arrive at the conclusion, the law empowering the intelligence services to act in this regard and the laws preventing the NGOs from acting outside its scope.
“I queried on 11 July at this august assembly whether the provisions of the Constitution and the Universal Charter on Human Rights are contravened by the Circular No.MOD/NGO/MON/4 dated 1 July issued by the Director and the Registrar of the National Bureau on Non-Governmental Organisations functioning under the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development. In response, the Prime Minister had mentioned ‘since it was revealed by intelligence reports that some Non-Governmental Organisations have been engaged in activities that might affect the security of the Sate and that are beyond their scope in the recent past’ in his reply. I further wish to ask and know about the reasons underlying the receipt of reports on Non-Governmental Organisations through intelligence services and the particulars,” said Wickremesinghe.Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne outlining the protocol of the intelligence services said: “The intelligence services are continuously monitoring all channels to safeguard the nations from internal and external threats. It is mandatory that the NGOs are registered and when they exceed these mandates, the intelligence services starts monitoring them. A report was submitted to the Ministry of Defence, which instructs with the necessary measures, which is within the legal framework to curb the issue.”
According to Jayaratne, the Voluntary Social Service Organisations (Registration And Supervision) Act (No. 31 of 1980), Voluntary Social Service Organisations (Amendment)(Registration And Supervision) Act (No. 8 of 1998), the laws published in Gazette Extra Ordinary No.1101/14 of 15 October 1999, circular of the President’s Secretary dated 26 February 1999 and Circular No.MOD/NGO/MON/4 dated 1 July issued by the Director and the Registrar of the National Bureau on Non-Governmental Organisations govern the NGOs in Sri Lanka.
