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6 years on yet another debate on Easter Sunday attacks a reminder of the long wait for justice
View(s):By Sandun Jayawardana
More than six years after the Easter Sunday terror attack, yet another adjournment debate on the subject was held in the House on Wednesday. While the debate did not throw up much new information, it served as yet another reminder of the continuing, painful wait for justice.
The current government received the people’s mandate not merely to investigate corruption and fraud, Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam pointed out, as he moved the adjournment motion for the opposition. Among the main promises given to the people in the National People’s Power’s (NPP) election manifesto ‘A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life,’ was the commitment to ensure justice for human rights violations, including immediately revealing the truth about the Easter Sunday attack, he further noted. “The government has failed to ensure justice for the massive human rights violations that occurred; from the Easter attack to the recent mass murders revealed through the Chemmani mass grave,” the MP said. He argued that the government too has avoided its responsibilities as a government in this regard, despite the existence of several reports into the attack, including the Presidential Commission report on the Easter Sunday attack, the Malalgoda report, the investigation report on the programme broadcast on Britain’s Channel 4. “None of these reports have been presented to Parliament so far,” he remarked.
Additionally, though the government promised to implement the recommendation contained in the report of the Presidential Commission appointed to probe the attack, the promise had not been fulfilled to date, observed the ITAK MP. “The NPP must clarify to this August Assembly, why it has failed to fulfil the pledges and promises given to the international community, His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and the victims of the Easter attack,” Mr. Rasamanickam noted. He called for the setting up of a special prosecutor’s office with international involvement to persuade people to come forward and give evidence. “Unless there is an international investigation into this matter, we will never find justice. Justice will always not be served if we don’t have an international mechanism,” he insisted, adding that international investigations should be held, not just for the Easter Sunday attack, but for all atrocities committed in the country.
Gampaha District Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Kavinda Jayawardena meanwhile, reminded that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had gone to the Katuwapitiya Church, where the first bomb attack took place, and there made a pledge before victims of the attack, before Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and other Catholic clergy and “before God,” to ensure that the truth about the attack would not be allowed to be buried in the sands of time. Now however, neither Parliament nor the public are being briefed regarding the progress of the Easter attack investigation, said Mr. Jayawardena. “Earlier, they claimed that the political authority was involved in this, that the Rajapaksas were also involved and that some in the intelligence community knew of the impending attack. It was also claimed that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and other agencies did not take the necessary steps to prevent the attack, and that neither these agencies nor the political authority carried out their duties and responsibilities. However, addressing the 50th ordination anniversary of His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith on July 7, the President said it is a challenge for the government to investigate the government’s own institutions,” he pointed out.
Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala stressed that in his address during the Cardinal’s ordination anniversary, the President had noted that while it is a challenge for the government to investigate its own institutions, it will still do so, no matter how difficult it may be, since justice must be served. He alleged the opposition was attempting to distort the President’s comments to make it seem as if the President had hinted the government was “giving up.”
Investigations into the attacks, which killed 274 persons including 42 foreigners and seriously injured 592 others, was first entrusted to the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) before being handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), said Mr. Wijepala. A total of 707 suspects were initially arrested as part of the investigation into the attack. A total of 101 of those suspects were subsequently indicted on 42 cases in the high court. Minister Wijepala alleged that the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration had obstructed the police probe into the attacks as soon as it came to power. Accordingly, CID officers who were in charge of the investigation were removed. However, the probe recommenced once President Dissanayake came to power, with some of the CID officers who had earlier been transferred out brought back in. The investigation is now proceeding successfully, he told the House, adding that many of the surviving operatives in Easter attack ringleader Zahran Hashim’s network have been arrested and indicted in court, with cases against them still proceeding.
Minister Wijepala further told the House that former Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias “Pillayan,” currently under arrest over the abduction and disappearance of former Eastern University Vice-Chancellor Subramanium Ravindranath, had been in remand custody at the time of the attacks on April 21, 2019 over the assassination of MP Joseph Pararajasingham. “Pillayan was being held at the Batticaloa Prison at the time and it has now been revealed from investigations that he had prior knowledge of the attacks,” the minister said. He said several members of military intelligence were also being held at the Batticaloa Prison at the time with Pillayan and that they had maintained close contact with each other. Further investigations into the matter were ongoing, said the minister, adding he could not reveal further details to the House at this time.
The minister concluded his speech by insisting that the government would honour its pledge to bring justice to victims of the attacks and that it will also ensure that extremism of any kind never rears its head again in the country.
Parliament will reconvene at 9.30am on July 22.
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