State Minister of Batik, Handloom, and Local Apparel Products Dayasiri Jayasekara said investigations must be carried out into possible links between the Easter Sunday terror attacks and the group of people that wanted to oust former President Maithripala Sirisena in order to appoint a new president.
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Dayasiri Jayasekara[/caption]
Testifying before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) probing the carnage, the State Minister noted that regime changes and appointment of Presidents in the country were directed by foreign influences since 2015.
In response to a question raised by the PCoI Chairman with regard to the Yahapalana Government’s stance on national security and the decision to abolish the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), he said the former President and his party in the coalition government were of the view that national security must be prioritised. However, the internal conflicts induced by other affiliated parties in the former administration had weakened the national security to a certain extent, he added.
Testifying further, he said: “Following the Easter attacks, we planned to bring forth a set of principles called ‘one country, one law’ but this could not be done due to the pressure from the Muslim ministers in the previous Government.”
Responding to another question, the State Minister pointed out that a leader of a terrorist group is unlikely to carry out a suicide attack and that there should be a motivation for a terrorist leader to do so.
It is doubtful as to whether Zahran orchestrated the attacks by himself or if there was another force that made use of him, he added. “What I’m saying is that there was a force that handled Zahran. He is also a victim of this attack.”
Back then, former President Sirisena was acclaimed for his massive efforts in the crackdown on narcotic drugs. However, in the wake of the Easter attacks he could not run for president again, the State Minister said, raising concerns about a group of people who wanted to oust Sirisena to appoint a new president. The interrelatedness between this and the Easter attacks must be probed, he added.
Jayasekara went on to question as to how foreign intelligence services managed to warn about an impending attack that even local intelligence units did not know about. “This means, foreign intelligence agencies had been active in our country without our knowledge.”
After 2015, foreign influences were responsible for the regime changes and appointment of new presidents in the country, he stressed further.
The State Minister pointed out that the former President, former Prime Minister, former IGP, and former Defence Secretary are all victims of this attack, noting that the force that steered the attack must be investigated.
Dayasiri Jayasekara[/caption]
Testifying before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) probing the carnage, the State Minister noted that regime changes and appointment of Presidents in the country were directed by foreign influences since 2015.
In response to a question raised by the PCoI Chairman with regard to the Yahapalana Government’s stance on national security and the decision to abolish the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), he said the former President and his party in the coalition government were of the view that national security must be prioritised. However, the internal conflicts induced by other affiliated parties in the former administration had weakened the national security to a certain extent, he added.
Testifying further, he said: “Following the Easter attacks, we planned to bring forth a set of principles called ‘one country, one law’ but this could not be done due to the pressure from the Muslim ministers in the previous Government.”
Responding to another question, the State Minister pointed out that a leader of a terrorist group is unlikely to carry out a suicide attack and that there should be a motivation for a terrorist leader to do so.
It is doubtful as to whether Zahran orchestrated the attacks by himself or if there was another force that made use of him, he added. “What I’m saying is that there was a force that handled Zahran. He is also a victim of this attack.”
Back then, former President Sirisena was acclaimed for his massive efforts in the crackdown on narcotic drugs. However, in the wake of the Easter attacks he could not run for president again, the State Minister said, raising concerns about a group of people who wanted to oust Sirisena to appoint a new president. The interrelatedness between this and the Easter attacks must be probed, he added.
Jayasekara went on to question as to how foreign intelligence services managed to warn about an impending attack that even local intelligence units did not know about. “This means, foreign intelligence agencies had been active in our country without our knowledge.”
After 2015, foreign influences were responsible for the regime changes and appointment of new presidents in the country, he stressed further.
The State Minister pointed out that the former President, former Prime Minister, former IGP, and former Defence Secretary are all victims of this attack, noting that the force that steered the attack must be investigated.