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SJB wants real mastermind of Easter Sunday carnage traced

Published

5 years ago

2020/12/9

By Saman Indrajith

The SJB demanded in Parliament on Saturday (5) that the government shift its focus from those who had been under the command of Zahran Hashim the ringleader of those who carried out the Easter Sunday terror attacks to those who masterminded the attack.

SJB Galle District MP Manusha Nanayakkara accused the government of not doing enough to grant relief to those who had lost their loved ones.

Participating in the third reading stage debate on budget 2021, MP Nanayakkara said: Some 350 persons were killed and around 500 wounded. The family members of victims suffered losss. Who suffered the biggest political loss? It was the yahapalana government. It lost power. Therefore, it is obvious that the yahapalana government did not engineer the Easter Sunday attacks. Then who achieved the biggest political gain? It is the political camp now in the government. I do not say that they engineered the terror attacks either. After it was first revealed by Minister Wijayadasa Rajapakshe in this House that there were ISIS terrorists in the country, there were investigations under TID chief DIG Nalaka Silva. He investigated the matter and sought permission to arrest Zahran Hashim, who had been identified as a threat to national security. The request for the permission goes to the highest office. What happened then? A person named Namal Kumara claimed there was a conspiracy to assassinate the then President and DIG Nalaka Silva was involved in it. The person who sought permission to arrest Zahran was put behind bars and investigations into ISIS operations in Lanka came to an end. Then there was the 52-day government, which plunged the country into chaos; no UNP leader was allowed to attend the National Security Council. Only the likes of Thilanga Sumathipala, Dilan Perera and Dayasiri Jayasekera were invited to the NSC meetings. During those months prior to the Easter Sunday attacks, issues related to Zahran’s operations had been taken up several times at the NSC meetings. Today, these facts are revealed before the Easter Sunday Commission. Why the then President did not take action as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces is not a matter for me to discuss. There had been warnings of the impending attacks. Even on the day of the attacks, the President flew from Thirupathi to Singapore despite being informed of the incidents. It has now been revealed that many had received prior information about the terror attacks. It is said that MP Harin Fernando’s father had been aware of them. There were some others. Who instructed TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran not to go to Church on that day? It was the then Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa who instructed MP Sumanthiran not to go to church on that day. Rajapaksa had come to know about the threat from his security detail. The Ministerial Security Division had been aware of the warning. Batticaloa District TNA MP Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam: It should be corrected. MP Sumanthiran was in Batticaloa. I was there with him when the then Opposition Leader Rajapaksa called him. It was not to warn against going to church because the call came after the incident.

MP Nanayakkara: This information came to MSD on April 14. The MSD officers were told that there was a letter in Colombo and asked them to come and pick it up. It was many days later after the attack we saw the letter. There is a serious issue that has surfaced now before the Easter Sunday Commission. Senior DIG Ravi Seneviratne has told the Commission that Zahran’s group was linked to ISIS by a local agent of ISIS. Who is that local agent? He is the one who controlled Zahran. He is the one who paid salaries for weapons training? He was the one who paid the salaries to the family members of those who went abroad on their absence. Why has he not been arrested yet? Why Sarah Jasmine, the wife of Muhammadu Hastun, who detonated a suicide bomb at St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya on Easter Sunday has not been arrested, yet. She was allowed to flee to India after she made vital revelations of the names of the persons who paid for Zahran and others. Zahran’s wife’s testimony was recorded in camera, not allowing the media to know what she said. She, too, has revealed some names. Thereafter, the sittings of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry were suspended stating that it was owing to COVID-19. Now, there is a serious threat to the lives of those who have given evidence.

Public Security Minister Dr Sarath Weerasekera: There are 271 persons in custody. There were eight incidents and all the evidence and documents are with the Attorney General, who is due to file cases before courts. It is the yahapalana regime that should take the responsibility for the security failure. It neglected national security. It was during your time that the intelligence operatives and war heroes were put behind bars. Those factors led to the security failure.

MP Nanayakkara: Those in custody had been arrested during the time of the previous government. Tell the House whether your government made any arrests. We must respect war heroes. There is no doubt about it, but should we respect those who make use of the very same uniform of the war heroes to kill innocents, abduct children, take ransom and harass the media? The government’s investigations are focussed on the aftermath of the incident. We are asking the government to pay attention to the events prior to the incident and arrest those who directed the terror attacks and those who had links to the terrorists.

SJB Gampaha District MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka: Those in custody are just those who did menial jobs. You should arrest the masterminds and those responsible for funding the Zahran group. Arrest those who had been above the rank of Zahran not those who were below him.

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Rajitha calls for combined lists, denounces those unwilling to join as traitors

Published

49 mins ago

2026/05/28

Sahan Weerasooriya

Dr. Senaratne, flanked by Prof. Peiris, M. A. Sumanthiran and Wajira Abeywardena, lashes out at the JVP

Ranil-led group asks govt. to hold PC polls

Former Cabinet Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne yesterday (27) claimed that there was no consensus between the JVP and the NPP regarding the long delayed Provincial Council (PC) polls.

Dr. Senaratne said that though JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva had declared in Jaffna, over the last weekend, that it wouldn’t be possible to conduct PC polls this year, due to financial constraints and legal impediments, the position of NPP General Secretary Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe was different.

Addressing the media at Hotel Nippon, on behalf of the People’s United Opposition grouping, operating out of Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Flower Road Office, Dr. Senaratne, who represents the UNP, claimed that the JVP/NPP was all out to postpone the long delayed PC polls. The New Democratic Front (NDF) parliamentary group, elected to the current Parliament, received the backing of Wickremesinghe.

The ex-Minister explained how the NPP, with a 159-member parliamentary group, could comfortably secure the approval of the Parliament to conduct the PC polls under Proportional Representation system.

Declaring that they would submit combined candidate lists at the PC polls, Dr. Senaratne declared that those who declined to join them would be considered traitors.

Dr. Senaratne emphasised that there was no need for alliances and their objectives could be achieved through fielding combined candidate lists.

The Illankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) was represented by former lawmaker and acting Secretaray General of ITAK but the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and the main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) weren’t represented.

Convenor of the People’s United Opposition Prof. G. L Peiris, at the beginning of the briefing, explained how the people were deprived of their democratic rights by the NPP, through the postponement of PC polls.

On Tuesday (26) MPs Shanakiyan Rasamanikkam, Mano Ganesan, and Nizam Kariapper attended a joint Opposition discussion with SJB and others, organised by PAFFREL. MP Rasamanikkam has criticised the delay in holding PC elections.

The Batticaloa District MP highlighted that he had already presented a private member’s bill to facilitate the conduct of elections, under the earlier system.

Rasamanikkam said:”The four Opposition members representing the Parliamentary Select Committee affirmed their stance to hold the Provincial Council elections under the preferential voting system.

“We noted, however, that the establishment of this committee appears to be a measure to further delay the process.

“Concurrently, an Additional Solicitor General of the Attorney General’s Department presented two proposals for conducting the elections.

“One of these recommendations involves introducing minor amendments concerning women and youth representation to the private member’s motion I tabled in Parliament, which seeks to hold the Provincial Council elections under the previous system.”

Meanwhile, PAFFREL said that altogether 42 political parties and civil society organisations were involved in that discussion.

PAFFREL said that of the 42 political parties and monitoring organisations that participated in the discussion, all but one political party consented to endorse the following joint statement. And it was decided to forward the joint statement to the Parliamentary Select Committee and the government.

“We, the secretaries of political parties and representatives of the other organisations, who attended the meeting organised by PAFFREL at the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agricultural Training and Research Institute, on 26 May, 2026, agreed to the proposal adopted to hold the Provincial Council elections as per the electoral system prevailed prior to the enactment of Act No. 17 of 2017, pending the final outcome of the Parliamentary Select Committee. We also agreed to ensure 25% representation of women and youth on a voluntary basis.”

News

20 lawmakers, four officials visiting China

Published

51 mins ago

2026/05/28

Sahan Weerasooriya

Twenty MPs and four officials are on a visit to China. Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathna, Deputy Minister, leads the delegation (pic courtesy Parliament)

A Parliamentary delegation, comprising 20 Members of Parliament, and four officials, of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, led by Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathna, Deputy Minister of Mass Media, is in China to participate in a workshop for Members of Parliament of Sri Lanka being held in Beijing and Guangdong.

The programme has been organised by the International Cooperation Centre of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China, from 26th May to 5th June, 2026.

The delegation arrived in Beijing, on 25 May, and commenced official engagements on 26th May, with the Opening Ceremony of the Workshop held at the Fenghui Centre in Beijing, Parliament said.

News

More Japanese funds for demining operations in the north

Published

52 mins ago

2026/05/28

Sahan Weerasooriya

Ambassador Akio Isomata

Japanese Ambassador in Colombo Akio Isomata yesterday (27) signed a grant contract for a demining project under the scheme of “Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP)”, with Kevin Klerx, Head of Support Services of the Mines Advisory Group(MAG), Ms. Hannah Picton, Programme Manager of the Hazardous Area Life-support Organization(The HALO Trust) and Ananda Chandrasiri, Director/ Programme Manager of the Delvon Assistance for Social Harmony (DASH).

The text of the Japanese embassy press release: “The Government of Japan has provided USD 1,343,202 (approx. Rs. 400million) for these projects, which will be implemented by MAG, The HALO Trust and DASH, to support their humanitarian demining activities in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka. Under this new project, almost 400,000 m2 of land is expected to be made mine-free, allowing more than 3,100 people to return to their land and approx. 22,000 people in the surrounding areas to expand their economic activities.

Japan has been a major donor to demining activities in Sri Lanka since 2002, and the total assistance amounts to over USD 49 million.”

The statement quoted Isomata as having said that: “Today’s signing of three (3) grant contracts is another testament to Japan’s commitment to continued assistance to the people of Sri Lanka, especially to those in the conflict-affected areas. At the same time, we also have to strengthen assistance to the affected communities for the enhancement of livelihoods and improvement of necessary infrastructure, in order to help the people of the communities to move on to the next stage of socio-economic development in the North and East in a seamless manner. I hope Japan’s continued assistance to the demining efforts of Sri Lanka will further strengthen the strong bond of trust and friendship that exists between Japan and Sri Lanka.”