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Cardinal backpedals on Easter justice threat

20 Apr 2021

  • Gives Govt. more time to investigate

  • Says Sunday’s comments only about international politics

  • Pins blame squarely on Islamist extremism

  • Criticises Muslim MPs’ support for 20A

  • Reiterates criticism of Maithri-Ranil 

  Two days shy of the second year anniversary of the Easter Sunday terror attacks, the Head of the Roman Catholic Church of Sri Lanka Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has, in a move that may be seen as backpedalling on previous tough stances, afforded the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) further time to continue with investigations into the attacks.  With regard to obtaining justice for the Easter Sunday victims, the Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Ranjith had previously claimed that if the GoSL had not meted out justice to the victims by the second anniversary of the bombings which falls tomorrow (21), he would seek assistance internationally and that the Catholic citizenry would take to the streets in protest post-21 April 2021.  However, addressing a media briefing convened yesterday (19) at the Archbishop’s House, Cardinal Ranjith said that he had decided to give the Government more time before seeking international help in the quest for justice for the victims of the Easter attacks.  “We will further observe the progress of the investigations as we understand that in certain instances, immediate actions cannot be taken. We need answers for three main questions: who orchestrated the attacks, who funded them and who protected the perpetrators,” said Cardinal Ranjith.  Speaking further yesterday, Cardinal Ranjith said that his statement made on 18 April to the effect that the Easter attacks were politically driven, had been “misinterpreted”. On 18 April, the Cardinal had said that the Easter attacks were an attempt by certain parties to consolidate their political position and alleged that it was not solely the result of religious fanaticism.  He clarified his position yesterday claiming that he had only highlighted the growing Islamist extremism in the entire South Asian region, adding also that he was speaking on behalf of the safety of all citizens in the country and not just the Catholic or Christian communities.  “I was referring to international political influences. I was speaking about international Wahhabism and how Islamist extremism was and is growing in the country,” added the Cardinal.  Elaborating further, he also criticised Muslim Parliamentarians of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) who voted for the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, speculating thereby on a “political deal” with members of the ruling Party (Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna).  “Three of the SLMC Members voted for the 20th Amendment to the Constitution while three did not. Why did this happen in this manner, especially when the ruling faction had earlier claimed that they did not want Muslim votes. It is fair for us to be suspicious of a deal here. One of MP Rishad Bathiudeen’s brothers was also released days prior to the vote on the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, a matter regarding which I raised concerns about at the time. Then the SLMC Members voted for the 20th Amendment to the Constitution,” he observed.  Meanwhile, commenting on former President Maithripala Sirisena, who was the first citizen at the time of the attacks, Cardinal Ranjith pointed out that the report by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into the Easter Sunday terror attacks had explicitly stated that Sirisena had prevented the arrest of Zahran Hashim, one of the masterminds of the coordinated suicide attacks on Easter in 2019.  “When officials had informed Sirisena of their suspicions regarding Zahran, Sirisena had questioned as to why he needed to get involved in unnecessary situations.”  Further, commenting on former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Cardinal Ranjith said that while the rift between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe was obvious at the time, he could however not speak about how it affected their duties. However, he noted that Wickremesinghe too had been mentioned in the PCoI report for being “too soft” on matters regarding extremism.  The second year anniversary of the Easter Sunday terror attacks falls tomorrow. The six co-ordinated attacks on churches and hotels claimed over 200 lives while leaving more disabled and injured.


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