Three years after the Easter Sunday terror attacks, concerns about whether Sri Lanka’s churches are still under threat arose when a hand grenade was found at the All Saints’ Church in Borella, and subsequent to the discovery of the hand grenade at the said church, there is now a national-level debate about whether the law enforcement agencies are doing their job properly.
According to Colombo Archbishop His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Police have not looked into an obvious and crucial piece of evidence, which, in this case, is a certain portion of the closed circuit television camera (CCTV) footage at the said church. However, both the Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Retd.) Dr. Sarath Weerasekera and Defence Ministry Secretary Gen. (Retd.) Kamal Gunaratne have defended the manner in which the investigations are being conducted and have vowed to deliver results. The disputes between the Archbishop and the authorities, especially Dr. Weerasekera, appear to be intensifying, with concerns supporting and opposing both the parties’ opinions coming to the fore every day since the Police made arrests in connection with the incident.
The Archbishop’s claims are quite specific, and there is nothing unclear in his statements regarding the need for more attention to the CCTV footage which he claims has more evidence, or as he claims, the real evidence, that the Police must investigate. He provided video evidence to show that entirely aside to the arrested suspects, it is another person who had entered the premises in question and had reached into his clothes and placed something in the place where the hand grenade was eventually found. The Archbishop has also challenged Dr. Weerasekera, saying that if the latter is honest, he must look into the evidence that has been presented by the former.
When it comes to Dr. Weerasekera’s responses, however, what we can see is that he is being rather defensive than being receptive, and it goes without saying that such attitudes, be they rational or irrational, can affect the ongoing investigations. Certain statements made by him, such as the claim that the Police checked the CCTV footage recorded after 3 p.m. to arrest the suspects as soon as possible, in fact, gives an impression that there is some truth to the Archbishop’s claims about the Police not conducting investigations properly. The Police’s duty is to find the real culprits, not base an investigation of this nature on a person who can be linked to an incident in some way.
The bottom line is, as this dispute continues, we seem to be losing grip on the most important aspects of the matter at hand, and as a country, we should not forget that our priorities should not be winning arguments or proving one’s powers, but identifying and apprehending the real culprits, and determining their motives, who abetted the culprits, and who orchestrated the incident.
Dr. Weerasekera has stated that the type of statements the Archbishop has made could undermine the public’s confidence in the Police, and that the people should trust the Police as they have maintained law and order in the country for a long time. However, the best and perhaps the only way to convince the people to trust the law enforcement agencies is through proper investigations and proper results, not by winning disputes. To do that, the law enforcement agencies should be looking into evidence that actually matters, and failing that, not only the Colombo Archbishop, but the entire country will demand the resignation of the law enforcement authorities. Although Gen. (Retd.) Gunaratne has stated that the Colombo Archbishop does not have a right to call for the Inspector General of Police’s (IGP’s) resignation, the truth is, the people have not only a right, but also the power, to demand the resignation of any authority that is incapable of ensuring their safety.
Overall, the responses the Colombo Archbishop’s claims received from the Government’s side, despite those claims being specific and logical, were hostile, and the authorities’ focus should be on what evidence emerges in connection with this incident, not who challenges them. While the question of whether focusing on arresting someone immediately is a good way of commencing investigations remains, this is clearly not the way the Government responded to the Colombo Archbishop’s opinions in the period before 17 November 2019, the day that Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected President. Despite being reverent towards the Archbishop in that period, particularly in the first few months following the Easter Sunday attacks, as opposition against the investigations into the attacks have intensified, it seems as if the Government considers the Colombo Archbishop to be more or less an adversary. Such politics should not affect investigations that affect the lives of the people.
The authorities have stressed that the Colombo Archbishop’s claims and the allegedly unchecked CCTV footage will be looked into as part of the ongoing investigations. Even though the excuse given by the authorities to checking only the CCTV footage after 3 p.m. is unacceptable, now that attention has been paid to what the Police allegedly missed, the country can only hope that the Colombo Archbishop’s claims will finally be looked into, and that the authorities will prosecute the true culprits, and not look for scapegoats. Proper probes over raging rhetoric
18 Jan 2022
Proper probes over raging rhetoric
18 Jan 2022
Three years after the Easter Sunday terror attacks, concerns about whether Sri Lanka’s churches are still under threat arose when a hand grenade was found at the All Saints’ Church in Borella, and subsequent to the discovery of the hand grenade at the said church, there is now a national-level debate about whether the law enforcement agencies are doing their job properly.
According to Colombo Archbishop His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, the Police have not looked into an obvious and crucial piece of evidence, which, in this case, is a certain portion of the closed circuit television camera (CCTV) footage at the said church. However, both the Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Retd.) Dr. Sarath Weerasekera and Defence Ministry Secretary Gen. (Retd.) Kamal Gunaratne have defended the manner in which the investigations are being conducted and have vowed to deliver results. The disputes between the Archbishop and the authorities, especially Dr. Weerasekera, appear to be intensifying, with concerns supporting and opposing both the parties’ opinions coming to the fore every day since the Police made arrests in connection with the incident.
The Archbishop’s claims are quite specific, and there is nothing unclear in his statements regarding the need for more attention to the CCTV footage which he claims has more evidence, or as he claims, the real evidence, that the Police must investigate. He provided video evidence to show that entirely aside to the arrested suspects, it is another person who had entered the premises in question and had reached into his clothes and placed something in the place where the hand grenade was eventually found. The Archbishop has also challenged Dr. Weerasekera, saying that if the latter is honest, he must look into the evidence that has been presented by the former.
When it comes to Dr. Weerasekera’s responses, however, what we can see is that he is being rather defensive than being receptive, and it goes without saying that such attitudes, be they rational or irrational, can affect the ongoing investigations. Certain statements made by him, such as the claim that the Police checked the CCTV footage recorded after 3 p.m. to arrest the suspects as soon as possible, in fact, gives an impression that there is some truth to the Archbishop’s claims about the Police not conducting investigations properly. The Police’s duty is to find the real culprits, not base an investigation of this nature on a person who can be linked to an incident in some way.
The bottom line is, as this dispute continues, we seem to be losing grip on the most important aspects of the matter at hand, and as a country, we should not forget that our priorities should not be winning arguments or proving one’s powers, but identifying and apprehending the real culprits, and determining their motives, who abetted the culprits, and who orchestrated the incident.
Dr. Weerasekera has stated that the type of statements the Archbishop has made could undermine the public’s confidence in the Police, and that the people should trust the Police as they have maintained law and order in the country for a long time. However, the best and perhaps the only way to convince the people to trust the law enforcement agencies is through proper investigations and proper results, not by winning disputes. To do that, the law enforcement agencies should be looking into evidence that actually matters, and failing that, not only the Colombo Archbishop, but the entire country will demand the resignation of the law enforcement authorities. Although Gen. (Retd.) Gunaratne has stated that the Colombo Archbishop does not have a right to call for the Inspector General of Police’s (IGP’s) resignation, the truth is, the people have not only a right, but also the power, to demand the resignation of any authority that is incapable of ensuring their safety.
Overall, the responses the Colombo Archbishop’s claims received from the Government’s side, despite those claims being specific and logical, were hostile, and the authorities’ focus should be on what evidence emerges in connection with this incident, not who challenges them. While the question of whether focusing on arresting someone immediately is a good way of commencing investigations remains, this is clearly not the way the Government responded to the Colombo Archbishop’s opinions in the period before 17 November 2019, the day that Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected President. Despite being reverent towards the Archbishop in that period, particularly in the first few months following the Easter Sunday attacks, as opposition against the investigations into the attacks have intensified, it seems as if the Government considers the Colombo Archbishop to be more or less an adversary. Such politics should not affect investigations that affect the lives of the people.
The authorities have stressed that the Colombo Archbishop’s claims and the allegedly unchecked CCTV footage will be looked into as part of the ongoing investigations. Even though the excuse given by the authorities to checking only the CCTV footage after 3 p.m. is unacceptable, now that attention has been paid to what the Police allegedly missed, the country can only hope that the Colombo Archbishop’s claims will finally be looked into, and that the authorities will prosecute the true culprits, and not look for scapegoats. 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!