Sri Lanka must restore rule of law, says human rights body

Dec 30, 2011 (LBO) - Sri Lanka needs to restore the rule of law and change its constitution that concentres too much power in the executive president who wields too much control over its citizens, the Asian Human Rights Commission said.











"All Sri Lankans will wish that the coming year will not be like the last one and, in fact, that it be different from previous years also, years in which deep insecurity has been prevailing due to the failure of the political system, resulting in serious problems in the legal system," it said.

"People reduced to powerlessness will want to regain their powers, those which should exist within a democracy rooted on a rule of law system," said the Hong Kong-based regional non-governmental organisation that monitors human rights in Asia.

The Asian Human Rights Commission said it hopes Sri Lankans would wish to see the abolition of the 1978 constitution.

Such a move, the AHRC said, would pave the way for many benefits for all the people, including "replacement of the rule of one man with the rule of law, (and) replacement of judiciary which is under the control of executive president with an independent judiciary functioning under the principle of separation of powers."

AHRC said the Attorn