Easter Sunday controversy: New Public Security Minister to seek audience with Archbishop

Church sceptical about govt. move 

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Newly-appointed Public Security Minister Prasanna Ranatunga says he will seek an appointment with Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith soon to brief him on the progress of investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage.

Alleging that members of the Opposition had made unsubstantiated claims in Parliament, during a recent debate on the Easter Sunday carnage, on the basis of various statements attributed to the Cardinal and other senior priests, Minister Ranatunga said he was prepared to brief the Catholic clergy.

Last year, the Cardinal declined to meet Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris to discuss the issues at hand. Top spokesperson for the Church, Rev. Cyril Gamini Fernando, told The Island that there was nothing to discuss. The government should without further delay implement the recommendations of its own Presidential Commission of Inquiry.

The Public Security Minister issued a statement in this regard in the wake of the Cardinal leaving for the Vatican with a 60-member group comprising the clergy and family members of the Easter Sunday victims for an audience with the Pope.

Referring to declarations made by Opposition lawmakers, Minister Rnatunga challenged them over unconfirmed claims that the Easter Sunday conspiracy had been initially planned in Malaysia and then the operations moved to India ahead of the carnage on 21 April. Minister Ranatunga asked Opposition members to reveal the identity of those who perpetrated the attacks if their identities were known to them.

Alleging that Opposition members endangered the lives of intelligence officers by implicating them in the Easter Sunday massacre, Minister Ranatunga asked whether they intended to commit the Millennium City type betrayal of the military. He was referring to the exposure of a safe house run by the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) way back in January 2002.

Rev. Fernando pointed out that instead of addressing their concerns the government recently caused further controversy by acknowledging Ranatunga’s predecessor, Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekeras security contingent used a vehicle belonging to one of the Easter Sunday bomber. Rev. Fernando asked whether there was any point in receiving a fresh briefing from the new Public Security Minister against the backdrop of the government deliberating suppressing information.

The Church spokesperson declared that they would present their case to the world. The Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) took Easter Sunday attacks twice last year.