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by Ravi Ladduwahetty

The attention of the Cabinet of Ministers has been drawn to the removal of the Prevention of the Terrorism Act at its weekly meeting last night.

A four-member Cabinet sub-committee headed by Cabinet spokesman and Minister of Enterprise Development, Investment Promotion, Industrial Policy, Constitutional Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris has been appointed to study whether the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) could be lifted, authoritative political sources told the Daily News late last night.

The other three members of the sub committee are: Leader of the House and Minister of Justice, Law Reform, National Integration and Buddha Sasana W.J.M. Lokubandara, SLMC Leader and Minister of Ports, Shipping, Eastern Development and Muslim Religious Affairs Rauf Hakeem and Interior Minister John Amaratunga.

Prof. Peiris told the Cabinet meeting that there was no impediment to the removal of the PTA as the Emergency Laws has been lifted.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told the meeting that essential clauses in the Act which are deemed essential could be retained as a separate piece of legislation, sources said.

The committee will also study whether there will be clauses in the Act which are deemed mandatory for the preservation of democracy.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet has also decided to alter the time table of the 2003 Budget which is scheduled to be presented by Finance Minister K.N. Choksy in Parliament on November 6. The Second Reading of the Budget will commence on November 7 and will continue till November 14. The Vote will be taken at 6 pm on November 14, these sources said.

The Committee stages of the budget will commence on November 15 and will continue for 19 days till December 9. This is the first time that the committee stages will be held after the vote is taken, the sources said.

Cabinet approval was also given for the Indian Oil Corporation to set up an importing and marketing arm in order to provide competition to the products of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, they said.

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was present at the meeting. 

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