Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando said he has found himself in a sorry state when then President Maithripala Sirisena called him from abroad and asked him not to attend a meeting chaired by then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, after news broke that terrorists had struck on Easter Sunday last year.
Giving evidence before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) probing the carnage on Easter Sunday for the eighth day, Fernando said the former President had ruthlessly made him and the former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara culprits in the explosions, during his address to the nation, while washing his hands off in the process.
Responding to the questions raised by the Additional Solicitor General of the Government, the witness said the meeting was scheduled to be held at 11 a.m., one hour in advance.
He further stated that the first person to call him was Secretary to then President Udaya R. Seneviratne. “He asked me whether I am aware that a meeting is scheduled to be held at the Prime Minister’s Office. He said he too got the message and that the President had called him to ask both of us to refrain from attending that meeting.”
Speaking further, he revealed that 10 minutes after the Presidential Secretary’s call, he received a call from the then President. “He told me sternly: ‘You two are not to attend this meeting under any condition’.”
The Additional Solicitor General then asked the witness if the former President had asked him not to attend the then Prime Minister’s meeting knowing that there had been bomb explosions, to which the response was in the affirmative.
He was then asked as to what his thoughts were when the former President, while being overseas, asked him not to attend the meeting in question.
The former Defence Secretary replied: “My thoughts were on the sorry state I was in. There had been no delegation of powers to the Prime Minister or anyone else before leaving the country. It was a situation of anarchy. I was intent on attending that meeting. But since I cannot disregard the President’s order, I didn’t attend it. By this time, I too had convened the IGP, the commanders of the tri-forces, the Chief of the Defence Staff, and all intelligence heads to the Defence Ministry. The Prime Minister came to the meeting unannounced and asked me to continue the meeting and he would wait in my office. I explained the matters discussed at the meeting to the Prime Minister. The removal of bodies was discussed. He was there for about 10-15 minutes and left.”
The Additional Solicitor General then asked: “Would the talks on the removal of bodies been necessary had the measures taken on 21 April been taken on 20 April, when there was forewarning of an attack the next day?”
In response, Fernando said: “I cannot answer that. They would have achieved their targets even if we had imposed police curfew the day before. Zahran was already at Shangri-La Hotel on 20 April. All this information was with the intelligence units. This is why 200 suspects connected to this were arrested within two weeks of the attack. I’m not saying this to wash my hands off of the responsibility. Once the bombers strap the bombs on, there’s nothing that can be done. They have to be stopped before the bombs are strapped on.”
The Additional Solicitor General asked the witness: “Did you know that the attacker at the Kingsbury Hotel, Mubarak, had gone home and returned on the night of the 20th. On that night, Zahran and Ilham left the hotel and returned. Had the police curfew been imposed, wouldn’t checks have been conducted at roadblocks? They could have been arrested easily, couldn’t they?”
To this, the former Defence Secretary responded: “I don’t know about ‘easily’, but an arrest could have been made.
When the Chairman of the PCoI asked the witness if Zahran and others make bombs in Wanathavilluwa for sale, he responded in the negative.
Anil de Silva PC who represented ex-President Maithripala Sirisena asked the witness as to why he claimed that the former President’s address to the nation is an indictment.
Fernando responded: “He made the most violent statement possible by a head of state. The establishment code contains the measures to be taken in the event of an error made by the secretary. Instead of doing that, the Ministerial Secretary and the Department Head were made culprits. I must especially mention that President Maithripala Sirisena had a dream of becoming the President for a second time. He was prepared for that, but the Easter attacks became a black mark. Two political sacrifices had to be made for that. Pujith and I were ruthlessly made culprits in this and he washed his hands off.”PCoI on Easter Sunday attacks: IGP and Former Defence Secretary were made scapegoats
05 Oct 2020
PCoI on Easter Sunday attacks: IGP and Former Defence Secretary were made scapegoats
05 Oct 2020
Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando said he has found himself in a sorry state when then President Maithripala Sirisena called him from abroad and asked him not to attend a meeting chaired by then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, after news broke that terrorists had struck on Easter Sunday last year.
Giving evidence before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) probing the carnage on Easter Sunday for the eighth day, Fernando said the former President had ruthlessly made him and the former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara culprits in the explosions, during his address to the nation, while washing his hands off in the process.
Responding to the questions raised by the Additional Solicitor General of the Government, the witness said the meeting was scheduled to be held at 11 a.m., one hour in advance.
He further stated that the first person to call him was Secretary to then President Udaya R. Seneviratne. “He asked me whether I am aware that a meeting is scheduled to be held at the Prime Minister’s Office. He said he too got the message and that the President had called him to ask both of us to refrain from attending that meeting.”
Speaking further, he revealed that 10 minutes after the Presidential Secretary’s call, he received a call from the then President. “He told me sternly: ‘You two are not to attend this meeting under any condition’.”
The Additional Solicitor General then asked the witness if the former President had asked him not to attend the then Prime Minister’s meeting knowing that there had been bomb explosions, to which the response was in the affirmative.
He was then asked as to what his thoughts were when the former President, while being overseas, asked him not to attend the meeting in question.
The former Defence Secretary replied: “My thoughts were on the sorry state I was in. There had been no delegation of powers to the Prime Minister or anyone else before leaving the country. It was a situation of anarchy. I was intent on attending that meeting. But since I cannot disregard the President’s order, I didn’t attend it. By this time, I too had convened the IGP, the commanders of the tri-forces, the Chief of the Defence Staff, and all intelligence heads to the Defence Ministry. The Prime Minister came to the meeting unannounced and asked me to continue the meeting and he would wait in my office. I explained the matters discussed at the meeting to the Prime Minister. The removal of bodies was discussed. He was there for about 10-15 minutes and left.”
The Additional Solicitor General then asked: “Would the talks on the removal of bodies been necessary had the measures taken on 21 April been taken on 20 April, when there was forewarning of an attack the next day?”
In response, Fernando said: “I cannot answer that. They would have achieved their targets even if we had imposed police curfew the day before. Zahran was already at Shangri-La Hotel on 20 April. All this information was with the intelligence units. This is why 200 suspects connected to this were arrested within two weeks of the attack. I’m not saying this to wash my hands off of the responsibility. Once the bombers strap the bombs on, there’s nothing that can be done. They have to be stopped before the bombs are strapped on.”
The Additional Solicitor General asked the witness: “Did you know that the attacker at the Kingsbury Hotel, Mubarak, had gone home and returned on the night of the 20th. On that night, Zahran and Ilham left the hotel and returned. Had the police curfew been imposed, wouldn’t checks have been conducted at roadblocks? They could have been arrested easily, couldn’t they?”
To this, the former Defence Secretary responded: “I don’t know about ‘easily’, but an arrest could have been made.
When the Chairman of the PCoI asked the witness if Zahran and others make bombs in Wanathavilluwa for sale, he responded in the negative.
Anil de Silva PC who represented ex-President Maithripala Sirisena asked the witness as to why he claimed that the former President’s address to the nation is an indictment.
Fernando responded: “He made the most violent statement possible by a head of state. The establishment code contains the measures to be taken in the event of an error made by the secretary. Instead of doing that, the Ministerial Secretary and the Department Head were made culprits. I must especially mention that President Maithripala Sirisena had a dream of becoming the President for a second time. He was prepared for that, but the Easter attacks became a black mark. Two political sacrifices had to be made for that. Pujith and I were ruthlessly made culprits in this and he washed his hands off.”Kapruka
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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!