The Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) in association with the Australian High Commission’s Direct Aid Program (DAP) held the second training program of the series “RTI: Protecting Our Rights through the Right to Information Act” on December 07 held at the Puttalam Chilaw Far Inn Village Hotel. Chairman of the Right to Information Commission, retired High Court Justice Upali Aberathne, Commissioners of the Commission, Attorney at Law Kishali Pinto Jayawardena, and Attorney at Law Jagath Liyana Arachi were present.
The training was organized for journalists and civil society organizations. It was also discussed how the Right to Information Act can be used effectively to enable citizens to enjoy one of the fundamental rights, the Right to Information.
At the beginning of this training, Mr. Jagath Liyana Arachi gave his presentation on the basic issues related to RTI. Following this, Sri Lanka Press Institute RTI forum member Mr. Prasad Poornimal shared his success stories using the Right to Information Act and encouraged others to do the same. The members of the commission participated in the question and answer session and answered the doubts of the participants. Also, the challenges faced by them while using the law and their solutions were given by the commission. They also directed appeals to be filed within a timely manner and appeals to the Right to Information Commission if the public authorities do not provide a proper response to the request within the time prescribed by law.
