Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) in collaboration with the Direct Aid Program (DAP) of the Australian High Commission to mark six years of implementation of the Right to Information in Sri Lanka conducted the fifth workshop of the series “RTI: Protecting our rights through the Right to Information Act” on February 3rd at Kalutara, was held at Sarvodaya. Right to Information Commissioners Advocate Kishali Pinto Jayawardena, Advocate Jagath Liyana Arachi and Mohammed Nahia 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. Kamani Hettiarachi, one of the members of SLPI’s RTI Journalist Forum, made the commissioners aware of the challenges faced by Kalutara journalists while using RTI. 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.