Counter terrorism programme:

By Yohan Perera in Matale   

Government will have to bring in laws to control internet under its planned counter terrorism programme, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said over the weekend.

Prime Minister said this at the launch of the new programme “taking state services to villages” in Matale on Saturday, June 01.   

“There is an instance in Boston where IS cadres learnt how to explode a bomb on line and actually set off a bomb in the city. Therefore, we will have to control internet in order to stop terror group from using it to fulfill their objective,” the Prime 

Minister said. The Prime Minister said government’s new counter terrorism programme will focus on three factors. This he said comprises efforts defeat terror groups such as IS ideologically to stop their attacks and how to bring normalcy to the nation in the aftermath of an attack. He said it is also essential to defeat extremism.   

“Our inteligence forces need modern equipment while all such intelligence services need to work together with one goal. Also, they need to link up with international intelligence institutions such as FBI and with neighbouring countries such as India,” he said. 

• There is an instance in Boston where IS cadres learnt how to explode a bomb on line and actually set off a bomb in the city

 
“We will have to take steps to prevent terror attacks in the future though IS and National Thawheed Jama’ath is no more in Sri Lanka ,” he added. Referring to the distribution of Samurdhi he said it is hard to believe as to why the previous governments were not able to increase the number of recipients during the last 
20 years. Meanwhile, Minister of Health Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said many have forgotten the rigid rules of the previous regime. “Government is severely criticized using the freedom they enjoy under this regime.   

Those who criticize the government have forgotten the fate suffered by those who criticized the previous regime. Even the media has forgotten this past,” the Minister said.     

• Our inteligence forces need modern equipment while all such intelligence services need to work together with one goal
• We will have to take steps to prevent terror attacks in the future though IS and National Thawheed Jama’ath is no more in Sri Lanka