Easter Sunday carnage: Church examines available official records, alleges govt. continues to withhold crucial info

… scathing attack on AG’s Dept. and current dispensation

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Archbishop of Colombo Rt. Rev. Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has questioned the accountability on the part of the Attorney General’s Department in the overall legal process that had so far failed to ensure justice for those killed and maimed in near simultaneous 2019 Easter Sunday suicide attacks.

The terror attacks carried out by the National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) killed 269 people and wounded over 500.

In a strongly-worded video message, Archbishop Ranjith accused the current political leadership, Attorney General Sanjay Rajatatnam, the AG’s Department, intelligence services and law enforcement authorities of badly letting down those who demanded justice. The outspoken priest stressed that nearly three years after the heinous crimes successive governments continued to suppress crucial evidence and deprived the Catholic Church of all available information available with the AG’s Department.

The Cardinal said that the Church didn’t have any faith in the government or the AG at all. His Eminence said so at the launch of ‘Thitha’ (full stop) authored by Rev. Lal Pushpadeva Fernando with the assistance of Maximus Linton Fernando, Dr. Sachitha Mendis and Ajith Mendis, at ‘Jesmine’ Hall at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH).

The 448-page book, published in Sinhala on behalf of the National Catholic Communication Centre, meticulously dealt with five separate reports on the Easter Sunday carnage. Rev. Father Pushpadeva Fernando explained the arduous examination of Supreme Court Justice Vijith Malalgoda’s report, followed by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) report, Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Defence (POCD), Presidential Commission of Inquiry (P CoI) report and finally the ministerial subcommittee study and recommendations pertaining to the POCD and P CoI reports. Rev. Fernando said that in spite of spending public funds on those reports, absolutely nothing had been achieved so far.

Ironically, the event was held at the same venue where Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna District MP M.A. Sumanthiran, a week after Easter Sunday attacks, blindly declared the carnage, was a result of Sri Lanka’s failure to ensure certain basic values. Attorney-at-law Sumanthiran warned of dire consequences unless the government addressed the grievances of the minorities. Sumanthiran said so at an event organised by the Sinhala weekly Annidda to celebrate its first anniversary. Subsequently, lawmaker Sumanthiran was appointed to the PSC on Easter Sunday carnage, headed by the then Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ananda Kumarasiri.

The Saturday’s event commenced with a relatively small gathering observing one minute silence exactly at 8.42 in memory of those who perished in suicide attacks. Alleging that deliberate attempts were being made to suppress the truth, the gathering was told of a despicable conspiracy to protect the perpetrators.

Rev. Father Pushpadeva Fernando said that Easter Sunday carnage could have been averted. In spite of specific information that had been received by the State intelligence services, pertaining to the attack, including a warning at 6.41 am on the day of the incident, those responsible did nothing. Alleging that lawlessness had set in, the priest emphasised the responsibility on the part of the society to seek an end to the current system of governance.

The Archbishop said that intelligence services and senior police officials knew of the imminent attack, planned by a group of Muslim extremists. Understanding the importance of evidence gathered by the PCoI, the Archbishop alleged that the government and the Attorney General had suppressed evidence that had been the basis for the P CoI report. The Cardinal alleged that the government and the Attorney General hadn’t provided to the Church several chapters sought by them. The Church leader blamed both the yahapalana government and the current dispensation for the sorry state of affairs. Declaring that the truth couldn’t be established unless the government shared all available evidence, the Cardinal said that justice had been hindered by the actions of the AG and the AG’s Department.

The book launch was held close on the heels of both the then Secretary Defence Hemasiri Fernando and IGP Pujith Jayasundera indicted separately before a three-judge trial-at-bar over their failure to thwart the Easter Sunday carnage, being unanimously acquitted and released.

The indictments were prepared by Rajaratnam’s predecessor Dappula de Livera, PC, who retired in May last year.

The Cardinal alleged that the current dispensation hadn’t fulfilled any of the promises it had made regarding the Easter Sunday carnage. Although legal action had been initiated against some of those who had been indirectly involved with suicide bomber Zahran Hashim, the Church was not sure of the status of the investigations, the Cardinal said.

The priest flayed the government for protecting political leaders, intelligence and police officers responsible for the overall failure while pointing out how some of those who had been blamed for serious lapses were given promotions. The Cardinal was referring to the then Chief of State Intelligence Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena, currently the senior officer in charge of Central Range. Jayawardena turned a state witness in the above case.

Commenting on the government’s response to their concerns, the Cardinal said that they didn’t have faith in the current dispensation or the AG’s Department. The Cardinal said that since independence those who had been in power should accept collective responsibility for the current pathetic situation. “We should change this system. If we do not do away with the present system, the situation will continue to deteriorate and the people will suffer more.”

The Cardinal emphasised that he was concerned about not only those who suffered due to the Easter Sunday attacks but also all the communities. Those who backed Muslim extremists should accept responsibility for the mayhem caused in April 2019, the Cardinal said, adding that certain organisations that caused friction among communities, too, were accountable.

The Archbishop stressed that they were confident that God would ensure justice one day. The work undertaken by Rev Father Pushpadeva Fernando was part of their effort to pursue justice.

Lord Bishop Winston Fernando, the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka, said that the government couldn’t absolve itself of the responsibility for bringing the perpetrators of the Easter Sunday carnage to justice. Lord Bishop Fernando paid a glowing tribute to members of the editorial board for taking tangible measures to educate the masses. The priest emphasised that the Church would seek redress in terms of the Catholic teachings while urging the people of all faiths to respond compassionately and to act according to their conscience. While deeply appreciating the support extended by all communities to their cause, Lord Bishop said that the Church expected continued support in support of their struggle for justice. The priest pointed out among the victims had been nearly 50 foreigners of different nationalities while blaming the political leadership for protecting the perpetrators and those who facilitated the terror project. Lord Bishop didn’t mince his words when he explained how the political and defence set up contributed to the suicide missions.

Lord Bishop demanded early implementation of recommendations made by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry that probed the Easter carnage, while commending the role played by the Archbishop of Colombo to pressure successive governments over the Easter Sunday carnage. The national reconciliation was at stake due to the inordinate delay in solving the massacre.