A parliamentary oversight committee has approved Sri Lanka’s proposed Prevention of Foreign Terrorist Fighters Bill, despite opposition from Tamil parliamentarian Sivagnanam Shritharan.
Parliament disclosed the decision on November 13, following consideration by the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Economic Development and International Relations, chaired by MP Lakmali Hemachandra.
The Bill was introduced for its First Reading on October 20 by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism.
Proposed offences extend beyond Sri Lanka
Officials told the committee that the proposed law would allow legal proceedings concerning qualifying offences committed within or outside Sri Lanka.
The provisions would cover specified conduct involving Sri Lankan citizens and foreign nationals, subject to the conditions described by officials, including whether the conduct is also an offence under the relevant country’s law.
The proposed offences include engaging in, planning or preparing terrorist activities and providing or receiving terrorist training.
The Bill is intended to give effect to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2178, adopted in September 2014.
Opposition recorded during committee review
MP Shritharan opposed the Bill during the committee’s consideration.
The parliamentary statement confirms his opposition but does not give a detailed account of the legal objections he raised.
Officials told committee members that the provisions were not drafted on an ethnic basis and were not intended to target Sri Lankans living overseas.
That explanation records the government’s position. It does not replace examination of the actual statutory wording.
Questions over enforcement remain
The committee’s published summary does not explain the precise evidentiary requirements for offences alleged to have occurred overseas.
It also does not reproduce the Bill’s provisions concerning the collection of foreign evidence, available defences or procedural safeguards.
Those details will determine how the proposed powers operate in practice.
The committee’s approval is one stage of parliamentary consideration. The Bill has not become law as a result of that decision.
Parliament of Sri Lanka, 13 November 2026
