Laws of Privacy should be enacted in Sri Lanka

Laws related to privacy should be promulgated in Sri Lanka in order to prevent the confusion stirred up in the wake of MP Ranjan Ramanayake’s audio clips controversy, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) Leader Udaya Gammanpila said yesterday.

Privacy is a fundamental right in the European countries and intrusion into privacy is a punishable offence, addressing a news briefing he said.

“Acts like recording a phone conversation without prior notice, making someone listen to a phone call of another person, peeping into a house through a window are punishable offences,” he said.

However, he said those kind of laws were not in effect in Sri Lanka consequent to which people were perplexed with the release of audio clips of Ranjan Ramanayake.

“It is fitting to introduce such laws in Sri Lanka, where a situation, which is connected to one’s privacy, is in the spotlight,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said if one would argue that the arrest of MP Ramanayake was illegal, there were sufficient laws that would command his arrest.

“It is a punishable offence under the article 111 C of the Constitution to interfere in legal proceedings, which MP Ramanayake is culpable of,” Gammanpila added. (Sheain Fernandopulle)