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Church warns SJB not to align with Maithri

12 Apr 2022

  • Plans to rally people against any group led by or supporting Sirisena
  • Claims Sirisena among those primarily responsible for Easter attacks
BY Buddhika Samaraweera Claiming that former President and incumbent Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Chairman MP Maithripala Sirisena is among those mainly responsible for the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 21 April 2019, the Catholic Church said it would rally the people, particularly the Catholic community, against any group led by, or supporting, him, with special mention of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB). Speaking to The Morning on 11 April, Archdiocese of Colombo’s Social Communications Director Rev. Jude Chrishantha Fernando said: “We have been pointing out for a long time that Sirisena is primarily responsible for the Easter Sunday terror attacks.  “If the SJB or any other group is working with him, we cannot expect that justice for the victims of these attacks would be done by any such party. Therefore, we would definitely take to the streets against all those groups,” he added. These comments came after Sirisena’s recent meeting with several MPs at which certain MPs representing the main Parliamentary Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) also attended. “We would definitely rally the people, including the Catholic community, against any force that comes under his leadership. We will not at all hesitate to ask the people not to vote for such a force,” he added. A meeting held on 10 April at Sirisena’s official residence in Colombo – during which the no-confidence motion and the impeachment resolution, which are currently being signed against the incumbent Government and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, were discussed – was attended by the SJB’s General Secretary and MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara and MP Eran Wickramaratne. On 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, three churches (the St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, the St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, and the Zion Church in Batticaloa) and three luxury hotels in Colombo (the Cinnamon Grand, the Kingsbury, and the Shangri-La) were targeted in a series of coordinated suicide bombings.  Later that day, another two bomb explosions took place at a house in Dematagoda and the Tropical Inn Lodge in Dehiwala. A total of 269 people excluding the bombers were killed in the bombings, including about 45 foreign nationals, while at least 500 were injured. The Presidential Commission of Inquiry which was appointed by Sirisena himself, who was the President at the time, to look into the Easter Sunday terror attacks, in its final report, has recommended to the Attorney General that criminal proceedings be instituted against Sirisena under provisions of the Penal Code for his failure to appoint an Acting Defence Minister when he left for Singapore on a private visit on 16 April 2019.

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