Following protests from different quarters, the Sri Lankan government has decided not to go ahead with the original decision to amend laws with regard to hate speech.
This was stated by Rajitha Senaratne, Cabinet spokesperson, on Wednesday, in response to a question.
The Tamil National Alliance and the Bodu Bala Sena, a party claiming to represent interests of Sinhalese-Buddhists, came out openly against the move. While the TNA argued that there was no need for such an amendment as there were enough provisions in the existing legal framework to handle cases of hate speech, the BBS contended that the legislation might be used against political and media freedom.
