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Sri Lanka president reinstates ban on women drinking alcohol
The president of Sri Lanka has blocked his government’s move to withdraw a 40-year ban on alcohol consumption for women.
President Maithripala Sirisena
President Maithripala Sirisena has ordered the Sri Lankan finance ministry to withdraw its amendments to a 1979 law that prohibits women from buying alcohol and working in places where it is sold and produced.
Finance minister Mangala Samaraweera announced the move just last week, when he also passed new legislation allowing bars to remain open for longer, from 8am to 10pm.
In a public meeting held in Agalawatte yesterday (14 January), Sirisena announced his decision to rescind the changes, stating that he was only made aware of them through media reports.
The president did not seem to give a reason for reinstating the status quo with regards to alcohol legislation, but in a statement said a government that “respects democracy and freedom has been clearly established in Sri Lanka”, and that “certain parties are trying to destroy that freedom”.