Probe into Easter Sunday terror attacks:

* 2015 JVP National List nominee supplied explosives to NTJ bombers – Gammanpila

* ‘President has committed impeachable offence by concealing committee reports’

* We don’t take Gammanpila’s claims seriously – Seneviratne

* Cardinal to make statement today

by Rathindra Kuruwita and
Norman Palihawadane

Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, retired SDIG Ravi Seneviratne, who served as the SDIG of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in 2019, had not taken action to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks in April 2019, according to a Presidential Committee chaired by retired Justice A.N.J. de Alwis, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader Udaya Gammanpila said yesterday (21).

The Alwis Committee had recommended that criminal charges be filed against Seneviratne, Gammanpila told the media.

The Alwis Committee, appointed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, was tasked with investigating whether the Police and State Intelligence Services had failed to prevent the Easter Sunday carnage.

“Seneviratne is now overseeing the Department that investigates the Easter Sunday attacks. How can justice be served if the person responsible for dereliction of duty is supervising the investigation?” Gammanpila asked.

The Alwis Committee had further recommended that criminal charges be filed against Shani Abeysekara, who was the CID Director at the time of the Easter Sunday attacks, Gammanpila said, noting that legal or disciplinary action had been recommended against 17 officers.

Gammanipila disclosed that the probe reports indicated that Seneviratne, as the Head of the CID, had received prior information about the Easter Sunday terror attacks. He claimed that the attackers had obtained explosives from businessman, Mohammed Ibrahim, father of two suicide bombers. Ibrahim was a JVP National List nominee in 2015.

Gammanpila warned that if President Anura Kumara Dissanayake did not act immediately, the PHU would move an impeachment motion against him in the next Parliament.  He said the report of the Presidential Committee, appointed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, with retired Supreme Court Justice S. I. Imam to probe allegations made in a Channel 4 documentary against the military intelligence, would be made public on 28 Oct.

According to the Alwis Committee, Seneviratne had been warned on 9 April 2019 by the then Head of the State Intelligence Service of impending terror attacks on churches, etc., by the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), led by Zahran Hashim, said Gammanpila. He revealed that Seneviratne had been overseas from 9 to 16 April 2019 and had appointed DIG B. R. S. R. Nagahamulla to act for him. However, a crucial letter warning of the attacks had not been forwarded to Nagahamulla. “When questioned, the Senior DIG’s Office informed the Commission that Seneviratne had instructed them not to open confidential letters addressed to him in his absence. As a result, the letter lay unopened on Seneviratne’s desk for nearly 12 days,” Gammanpila said.

The report further highlighted that Seneviratne had received 13 intelligence reports between January and April 2019 regarding NTJ activities. He was also responsible for key investigations, including the ones into the destruction of a Buddha statue in Mawanella in 2018, religious tensions in Kattankudy in 2017, the murder of police officers in Vavunathivu in 2018, and the detection of explosives in Wanathawilluwa in 2019.

Despite his extensive involvement in anti-terrorism operations, as the Head of the Terrorism Investigation Unit, and maintaining close contacts with the State Intelligence Service, Seneviratne had failed to take the necessary action to prevent the attacks, Gammanpila said.

“Despite his serious lapses, Seneviratne now serves as the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, overseeing fresh investigations into the very terror attacks he failed to prevent,” Gammanpila said, calling on President Dissanayake to remove Seneviratne from his post immediately and issue a public apology for concealing the two reports from the public.

Ex-DIG Seneviratne, contacted for comment said: “Anyone can say anything. We are not concerned about what Gammanpila says. Let the people decide. We are not disturbed by these allegations.”

Meanwhile, Colombo Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said that he would give a press conference on Tuesday (22) at Bishop House in Colombo to convey the Church’s standpoint over statements made by Gammanpila yesterday.

Addressing a Sunday Service, Cardinal Ranjith said attempts were being made to mislead the public regarding the investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday Attacks.

The Cardinal said a new group, including former government officials and Parliamentarians, was now working to create confusion regarding the probe. “Of the two reports, one contains the same recommendations as Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Easter attacks, the only difference being that the new report has recommended legal action against two senior officials of the new incumbent government. It is evident that the former government has given the instruction related to the recommendation.”

‘There is no need for an Opposition in Parliament’

By Shamindra Ferdinando

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has declared that there is absolutely no need for a parliamentary Opposition.

Addressing the inaugural Gampaha District 2024 parliamentary election rally at the Dravinda Mendis playground at the 18th mile post, Katunayake, on Sunday (20), President Dissanayake emphasised the responsibility on the part of the electorate to ensure the elimination of the political Opposition.

Declaring that his party National People’s Power (NPP) would convincingly secure the majority of the 19 seats available in the Gampaha district, President Dissanayake stressed that the requirement was to install an overwhelmingly powerful government that could address domestic and external challenges.

President Dissanayake was echoing his Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath who is also the Gampaha district NPP leader. As a result of the Sept. 21 presidential election, 50 to 60 politicians, who had represented the previous Parliament, opted out of the parliamentary contest for obvious reasons, the JJB heavyweights declared. They urged the electorate to complete what they called the clean-up operation of Parliament by voting out the remnants of the corrupt lot as well as the newcomers contesting on the tickets of rival political parties.

Although Dissanayake and Herath refrained from asking for a 2/3 majority, they repeatedly stressed that they wanted the strongest possible parliamentary group in the 225-member Parliament.

President Dissanayake alleged that the Parliament without any doubt is the most hated institution in the country. Referring to often disparaging references to Parliament being made by the public, the President said that over the years the Parliament earned the wrath of the people as it never represented the interests of the public. The former MP said that the Parliament successfully defended Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake when no-confidence motions were moved against them.

Commenting on the Opposition expressing doubts about the NPP’s capacity to run the government, President Dissanayake and FM Herath emphasized that the NPP would prove them wrong. They would have to endure the NPP administration for quite some time. President Dissanayake assured that the number of Ministers would be 25. There would be an equal number of deputies in his administration, the President said.

President Dissanayake strongly criticized his predecessor Ranil Wickremesinghe’s efforts to undermine public confidence in the NPP in the run-up to the presidential election. Wickremesinghe’s camp speculated on the possible collapse of the economy in case the NPP won the Presidential Election but the three-member Cabinet was able to manage the situation prudently thereby restoring the confidence of all, including the international community.

The NPP leader said that a significant percentage of those who had voted for rival candidates at the Presidential Election and boycotted the election would exercise their franchise for NPP candidates.  Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) candidate Sajith Premadasa polled 4.3 mn votes whereas Ranil Wickremesinghe (Independent candidate) and Namal Rajapaksa (Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna) polled 2.2 mn and 340,000, respectively. Nearly one fifth of the 17.1 mn eligible to vote or over 3.5 mn voters boycotted the Presidential Election.

President Dissanayake reiterated the likelihood of his government reaching some sort of arrangement with the Tamil community, following the General Election. The President expressed a similar sentiment two weeks ago when he addressed NPP candidates at Monarch Imperial, Thalawathugoda. Dissanayake is on record as having said, at the Thalawathugoda meeting, that he discussed the developments with a politician representing the Northern Province.

 Referring to the Gampaha district presidential election result, lawmaker Herath said that the NPP was aiming for a much bigger victory in the district. “At the presidential poll, Dissanayake polled more than 460,000 votes more than Premadasa. We won all 13 electorates in the Gampaha district. That’ll be repeated but with bigger margins,” Herath said.

Declaring that winning the presidency was a tremendous achievement, lawmaker Herath insisted that the NPP couldn’t proceed with its planned agenda unless the electorate bestowed them with a massive parliamentary majority.

SJB leader Premadasa and his key candidates have repeatedly declared their readiness to work harmoniously with President Dissanayake. They have also warned that an unnecessary parliamentary majority for the NPP could pose a severe threat to democracy.

Former MP and SJB Chairman Imthiaz Bakeer Markar recently warned that President Dissanayake could end up being a dictator if his party received a massive majority at the parliamentary election.

by PRIYAN DE SILVA 

Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES) Manjula Gajanayake says President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has got his priorities mixed up and is making the same mistakes as his predecessors.

President Dissanayake, while launching the National People’s Power (NPP) parliamentary election campaign from Hambantota a few days ago, promised to increase public sector salaries through Budget 2025.

The IRES head said that increasing public sector wages would only benefit about 1.6 million public servants. “I hope the President has not forgotten that he was elected to office by 5,634,915 Sri Lankans and needs the support of a majority of the 17,140,354 registered voters if the NPP is to win a majority at the parliamentary election” he said.

Gajanayake said that he was dismayed that even  the NPP’s Economic Committee had failed to advise the new President that the need of the hour was to reduce the cost of living and the price of essentials so that the entire could would benefit.

He added that it was no secret that at present the public sector was heavily overstaffed and far from efficient and suggested that the President took steps to improve the public service first before burdening  the taxpayers any further.