Democratic Tamil National Alliance (DTNA) spokesperson Suresh Premachandran has criticised Sri Lanka’s ruling National People’s Power (NPP), accusing the party of continuing repressive practices, including the use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), to suppress protests in the Tamil homeland.
Speaking at a press conference at the Jaffna Press Club, Premachandran asserted that the NPP, despite its progressive image, operates no differently from the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)—the party from which it emerged.
There is no real difference between the NPP and the JVP beyond how they present themselves internationally he said, stating what separates them is only their branding for external audiences.
He accused the Sri Lankan government of failing to deliver on their electoral promises, particularly in addressing Tamil grievances.
“They talk about development, but no meaningful projects have been launched,” he said. “They continue to deceive the people, much like the regimes before them.”
Premachandran went on to claim that the NPP’s refusal to repeal the PTA is a strategic decision aimed at pre-emptively crushing resistance. The PTA is being kept in place to suppress inevitable uprisings by the people, he claimed, criticising the party for using legislation long condemned by human rights groups as a tool of repression.
The PTA, a draconian law enacted in 1979, has been used disproportionately against Tamils, particularly during and after the armed conflict. Successive governments have been criticised for using it to target journalists, students, political activists, and former combatants, often holding them for years without trial. Though the NPP previously pledged to repeal the law, it has remained in place under their administration.
Premachandran further criticised the current government’s failure to halt the construction of Buddhist temples in the North, a long-standing concern among Tamils who view such projects—often carried out by the military—as part of a broader campaign of cultural erasure. He also raised the issue of political prisoners, pointing to the government’s lack of progress in releasing long-detained Tamils or addressing their legal limbo.
Concluding his remarks, Premachandran called on Tamil MPs elected from the Jaffna District to take responsibility for their role in supporting the NPP and to explain their actions to their constituents.
His remarks come ahead of local government elections next month.
