News
Easter Sunday carnage: Cardinal urges President to act on PSC findings
By Norman Palihawadane
Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith on Sunday said that Sri Lanka would not achieve its true freedom until the supremacy of the law was established.
Addressing a ceremony at the St. Anthony’s Church, Kotahena, to distribute financial aid sent from the Vatican among the families of Easter Sunday carnage victims, the Cardinal said: “The legal system is warped and bent as per the whims and fancies of political leaders over and over again. This is what we have witnessed during the past 74 years. Till this system is changed, Sri Lanka will never be free. The slavery to politicians will continue, till the day the legal system is completely independent of persons in power.”
“Sri Lanka will not achieve its true freedom until its political leaders themselves obey the rule of law,” he added.
The Cardinal said justice did not prevail in Sri Lanka, in most instances, and people had lost faith in the judicial system.
“Despite the concerns and appeals made by Pope Francis for justice for the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, our authorities have not taken any action against the culprits,” the Cardinal said, adding that for generations politicians had interfered with the law to obtain personal benefits, whilst dragging the country down the drain in the process. All of Sri Lanka’s political leaders had contributed to the destruction of the independence of the judiciary, after coming to power. “Sri Lanka is not truly independent, even after 74 years, if the Police continue to be influenced by politicians and connected persons,” he said.
Last week, Pope Francis granted €100,000 in aid to the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. The financial aid was disbursed among the affected families at St. Sebastian’s Church, in Katuwapitiya, and St. Anthony’s Church, in Kotahena, on Sunday.
Cardinal Ranjith said that they would continue their struggle, seeking justice for the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks, and also urged the incumbent President to probe allegations of a political conspiracy behind the attacks.
“Even though the Galle Face struggle has stopped, this struggle will continue. We will not give up,” he said.
He said the current President should ascertain those things as the report of the parliamentary selection committee, appointed by him at the time, said that there was a semblance of a political conspiracy behind it.
“If so, this President is duty bound to analyze what the parliamentary committee, appointed by him, said. Therefore, I request the President to please be honest about what the select committee you appointed said.” The Cardinal said that a senior police officer, who was about to arrest the suicide bomber Zahran Hashim, had been falsely accused of a conspiracy to kill influential people and arrested, allowing the suicide bomber to proceed with his plans. Those who allowed the attackers freedom to act were also responsible for this attack,as well as Zahran Hashim, the Cardinal said.
A group of Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) members, including its Leader Mano Ganesan, met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Thursday (02) morning at the Presidential Secretariat.
Extensive discussions were held on the issues faced by the Malayagam communities, particularly in relation to education, housing and land, as well as on the urgent measures required to address these concerns. The President paid special attention to all these matters.
Attention was also drawn to the recruitment of qualified Tamil-medium teachers to address the teacher shortage in estate sector schools and this too was discussed at length.
Members of Parliament P. Digambaram and V. Radhakrishnan, along with several other party members, were present at the meeting.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vijitha Herath, held talks with Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Andrey Rudenko at the Foreign Ministry, in Colombo, on Thursday (02), with both sides reaffirming their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations.
The Sri Lanka Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the visiting Russian Deputy Minister noted that Russia regarded Sri Lanka as a long-standing friend.
Rudenko assured that Russia stood ready to support Sri Lanka when required, including in the swift supply of Russian oil to help address the current energy challenges, encouraging Russian investors to explore new opportunities in the country and promoting increased tourist arrivals.
He also expressed Russia’s readiness to provide compensation for Sri Lankan war veterans who had lost their lives in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Minister Herath welcomed Russia’s willingness to assist, emphasising that Sri Lanka valued the support extended by its “old friend”, particularly at a time when the country was facing pressing energy needs.
He noted that the two countries shared nearly seven decades of diplomatic relations and said the present moment provided an opportunity to further strengthen ties, including through long-term trade agreements.
The discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in the fields of energy, investment, tourism and diplomacy, with both sides reiterating their commitment to further deepen the longstanding friendship between Sri Lanka and Russia.
Police yesterday arrested 157 foreign nationals in connection with an alleged organised online financial scam, conducted from a hotel in the Iranawila area in Chilaw.
The suspects were taken into custody during a raid carried out by the Police while they were staying at the hotel in Iranawila.
Police said the arrested group included 143 nationals from China, 13 from Bangladesh and one from Vietnam.
Investigators suspect the group had been involved in a coordinated online financial scam, targeting victims through digital platforms.
The suspects are being detained for further questioning while investigations are continuing to determine the full extent of the operation and whether additional individuals were involved.Police said further inquiries are underway.
By Norman Palihawadane
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