With organised criminal gangs escalating targeted killings, Sri Lanka’s opposition MPs are now forced to depend on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to decide whether they receive security protection or remain exposed.
The growing controversy over the safety of opposition MPs has reached a critical point as Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya informed them that decisions regarding their security will now be handed over to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Public Security Minister Tiran Alles. The announcement was made during a meeting chaired by Speaker Jagath Wickramarante, attended by the IGP, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, and several opposition MPs who demanded protection following a series of organised gang killings.
Security for both government and opposition MPs was removed after the National People’s Power government took office, calling it a uniform policy decision. However, the climate has changed drastically after multiple politically linked murders, including the recent assassination of SJB’s Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Lasantha Wickramasekara. Opposition MPs argue that the situation has now shifted from politics to survival.
According to the Communications Department of Parliament, the opposition has formally requested security for all its MPs. The Speaker informed them that the IGP had already been notified to take action for MPs who had filed earlier requests. He also stated that although the ruling government had a blanket policy of removing personal security, steps had already been taken to deploy protection for certain MPs due to rising threats.
Opposition MPs insisted that immediate protection is required so they can carry out their political responsibilities without fearing assassination attempts. They also proposed that once basic security is restored, a full threat assessment should be conducted for each MP to determine long-term measures.
SJB MP Jagath Vithana, who has reportedly received death threats, revealed that the IGP personally apologised to him over a previous statement made in Kandy and confirmed that intelligence reports identified multiple threat sources targeting him. The IGP assured him that special attention would now be given to his safety.
The larger issue, however, is not a single death threat. It is whether political security has now become a privilege controlled by the Executive. Opposition MPs argue that in a functioning democracy, their right to protection should not be subject to presidential discretion, especially in a climate of rising gang violence, contract killings, and politically motivated intimidation.
With the final decision now resting in the hands of the President, opposition lawmakers wait in uncertainty, caught between political policy and real physical danger.
