Legacy of Failed Terror Laws – Part 1

Photo courtesy of Brewminate The Public Security Ordinance (PSO), enacted in 1947 and amended in 1988, granted sweeping executive powers to declare emergencies in the interest of public security. Championed by local elites including D.S. Senanayake, it was designed primarily to crush Marxist activism and the labour movement. Since independence in 1948, successive governments have wielded emergency regulations to suppress protests, strikes and insurgencies, deploying armed forces, conducting warrantless arrests and bypassing judicial oversight. From 1948 to 1970, emergency regulations targeted peaceful protests in the North and East, emerging from post-colonial tensions and Sinhala majoritarianism. These powers allowed the executive…

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