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They should be punished! 

25 Feb 2021

  • Public reacts to Easter Sunday report’s recommendations 

  The Easter Sunday suicide bomb attacks orchestrated by the National Thowheed Jamaath under the leadership of Zahran Hashim, were carried out on 21 April 2019, and took away the lives of 269 civilians and left more than 500 more injured. The final report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into the attacks was sent to Speaker of the Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena yesterday (23), with a copy kept in the MPs’ library for perusal. Leaked copies of the said report revealed that the Commission has recommended legal action be taken against a former President, senior police officers, and senior public officials, over their failure to perform their duties properly and prevent the Easter Sunday attacks. As excerpts of the report were published on national newspapers, including The Morning, and broadcasted on electronic media, The Morning set out to gauge the view of the public on the contents of the report and its recommendations, and to ascertain the level of confidence among the public that the recommended actions would be taken against those who named responsible.  We spoke to members of the public we encountered in the Colombo Fort railway station and around the St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, a site of one of the bombs where many Easter worshippers lost their lives. The following are some of the more interesting comments we received.   Neglectful leaders must be held responsible Shantha Hettiarachchi, a 56-year-old three-wheel taxi driver from Kolonnawa The Easter Sunday Bomb attack impacted the whole country. We hope that justice will be served. I did not see the report. But everyone who is connected to it should face the consequences. They should be punished. They were the leaders of the country. People who are appointed to such positions are smart people with brains. So their actions should reflect this.  If former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe is not being punished, then that itself is a huge problem. He should definitely be held accountable and be punished. I don’t have a party and I am not loyal to any side. I am speaking as a citizen of the country, regardless of religion. We see the truth and this is what we see. When leaders rule a country, they must know what goes on in it.  The Easter Sunday Bombing was an extremely sad and painful incident. Leaders are there to provide security to their people. How can a country be ruled if there is no security for its people?  I sincerely hope and pray that justice will be served. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa did a great job when he was the Secretary to the Ministry of Defense. We still have a lot of that faith in him that he will do what is fair by the people of the country. We wish the President all the blessings that he will need to bring justice to the victims of the bomb attack.   President will ensure justice is served M.M.C.B. Jayasuriya, a 46-year-old retired military official from Hanguranketha The recommendations of the PCoI would definitely be implemented because Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the President of this country now. I am a retired member of the tri-forces who fought in the war. As retired soldiers, we have a lot of faith in our hearts that justice will be delivered. If it does not happen, the whole country will turn upside down. There will be no side for the people to turn to. We will find ourselves stranded and lost.  The President is a good leader and a good commander. As we have concluded military action, it is now the turn of the President to lead a different kind of action with the ministers and the rest of the Government. So we think the people of this country will get the answers they need, and those who have to be punished will face such consequences.  The Government that was in power during the attack should take full responsibility for it. Everyone from that Government, including former President Maithripala Sirisena and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe, should be punished, and I think that they will be. But I also don’t know who will be left out from facing the consequences due to hidden motives of those in power.  Sri Lanka was called the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. It will only continue to be so if the responsible faces punishment. If President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fails to do this, no one else will ever be able to put this country right.   We do not know what will happen Irangani, a 58-year-old resident of Mabola, Wattala All leaders who were in power at this time should be punished. It is their responsibility. It was said that the father of a Minister was aware of the attack beforehand. They should also be punished.  But the people at the top and the big shots usually let these things pass, and keep these things from coming to the surface. So we do not know what will happen. Those at the top might just let this report pass without bringing those responsible before the law.  I am Buddhist, but we were saddened by this attack. So many lives were lost in it. One of my neighbours lost their life to the bomb.   The truth must be revealed to the people Nisal Silva, a 27-year-old vendor opposite St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade It is wrong that the law was not enforced against the perpetrators. A president of a country cannot say things like he did not check the documents he put his signature on because then he has not done his duty properly. We saw such things being said by the leaders of the country. The people were not told who is to blame.  It was as though the Government closed off the perpetrators to the people. If it was revealed to the people, people could give answers to what should be done. But it is hidden from us. We did not see this report.  Either the Cardinal should take this problem before the Pope, or the people should be told whose fault the attack was, regardless of whether they are to be punished or not. If legal action were to be taken against those responsible, it would have already happened.   Nothing will change without long-term measures Sharma, a 50-year-old doctor from Wattala We do not think action will be taken. Did the previous commissions lead to any practical action? If we ask that question about the Easter Sunday Commission, we will get the same answer.  When we look at past events, people feel that this committee’s reports will not bring justice to the people. We see that all these individuals have their own ideas about how things should be done. Religious leaders, politicians, and even some of the people are all immersed in their own ideas. Some of the media also promote only one view.  All of this is wrong. Punishing wrongdoers is not enough for the development of a country or society. We should find out how wrongdoers are created. Religious leaders and Political leaders should look into why and how terrorists are created. That is the only way to achieve human development.  If such steps are taken, we can ensure the non-recurrence of tragedies like the Easter attack. Nothing will change if such steps aren’t taken.

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