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Government MP alleges Government is protecting Maithri

06 Feb 2022

  • Asks why even a statement not recorded from ex-Prez
 By Buddhika Samaraweera Claiming that even a statement has not been recorded from former President and incumbent Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Government Parliamentarian Maithripala Sirisena regarding the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 21 April 2019, State Minister of Rural and Divisional Drinking Water Supply Projects Development Sanath Nishantha said that he doubt whether the Government was protecting those who did not prevent the said terror attacks. Speaking to the media in Puttalam on 5 February, he said that legal action has been taken against former Defence Ministry Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara for not having prevented the said terror attacks, but not even a statement has been recorded from Sirisena, who was the Commander-in-Chief at that time. He said: “The law has been enforced against the former Defence Secretary and the IGP for hiding information and not protecting the people. At the time of the terror attacks, Sirisena was the Commander-in-Chief. However, as a Catholic and a man of conscience, I doubt if the Government is protecting them by not even recording a statement.” Nishantha also said that if there is any criticism against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa with regard to the matter, they too should ask their consciences about it. Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith also attended the event at which Nishantha was speaking. Speaking to the media at the time, the Cardinal said that Sirisena and other officials who have been implicated in the final report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) which investigated the Easter Sunday terror attacks, as responsible for not preventing the said terror attacks, should be summoned to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for questioning. “The PCoI report states that the former leaders knew about the terror attack, but did not prevent it. The PCoI mentions all names from the former President to the last police officer, in its final report. Also, Sirisena was the then Minister of Defence and that he had a direct responsibility in this regard. They should be summoned to the CID and questioned.” He added: “We are not asking this Government to do something that they cannot do. We are asking for something that is doable. So please tell the President and the Premier that we do not want to clash with them. However, there cannot be two laws for those who have power and those who don’t.” The Archbishop further said that the President and the current Government had promised to do justice to the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks, and that they should do so now. He added that if they kept that promise, the Catholic community would not have to resort to other means. “We do not do politics. What we say is, do justice. Does it hurt your (Nishantha) Government to do that? Now the answer is in the hands of the Government. When we play volleyball, we throw the ball from that side to this side. Now we have thrown the ball towards the Government. Therefore, now it’s time for the Government to fulfil its responsibility,” he said. On 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, three churches (St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, and Zion Church in Batticaloa) and three luxury hotels in Colombo (Cinnamon Grand Colombo, The Kingsbury Colombo, and Shangri-La Colombo) were targeted in a series of co-ordinated 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. Later, the said PCoI was appointed to investigate the terror attacks and the committee, in its final report, has made several recommendations including the filing of criminal charges against Sirisena, Fernando, Jayasundara, former State Intelligence Service Director Nilantha Jayawardena, former Chief of National Intelligence Sisira Mendis, and several others. However, most of the recommendations made by the said committee have not yet been implemented. As a result, several parties including the Catholic church have been insisting on the need to implement the PCoI's recommendations.


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