Terrorism today is an individual – PM

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says that human rights cannot be enforced just by passing laws as it cannot take place without the confidence building measures.

“We are addressing the issues of the missing persons. These are difficult ones. There needs to be confidence building measures before you get into it,” he said addressing the Inaugural Session of the 8th SAARC Interior/Home Ministers Meeting held in Colombo today (13).

He stated that there are some who think you pass the laws and you enforce human rights. “Okay we want human rights but it cannot take place without the confidence building measures.”

Wickremesinghe said that it has shown as in those who try to bring up the politics of extremism, of race, of religion are not finding the support and those who try to use extremism are now sometimes brought before the courts of law and action taken.  

“These are essential building blocks. It has taken us nearly one and a half years for the steering committee of the constituent assembly to decide to right a report but I think that one and a half years was worth it because we discussed, we argued, now we are putting it down and actually very little went out to the media.”  

He also said that terrorism has taken a different form today and that the issue now is how face this new type of terrorism.

“We also realize that terrorism has taken a different form. I don’t think we will ever find the type of terrorism you had where one side in the terrorist movement, in the arms struggle could even put about a brigade or so together to take on the Sri Lanka Army. That is over.” 

“But it doesn’t mean the end of terrorism. Terrorism today is an individual. There are terrorists who are not recruited to the cause but who joins the cause looking at it on the website and on the internet,” he said. 

The Prime Minister said that these are some of the issues that they have to face. “How do we face this new type of terrorism?”

He stated that several South Asian countries from Afghanistan to Maldives are still dealing with major issues of terrorism.

He said that it also means that the countries in the region should all be committed not to allow or tolerate any acts of terrorism and to condemn and to take effective action in the case of terrorism in the region. “That’s a commitment that we have to have.”