The SJB on Sunday called on the government to release 22 volumes of report of the Presidential Commission of inquiry into the Easter Sunday carnage.

SJB MP Patali Champika Ranawaka addressing the media in Colombo said that people had serious doubts about the Easter Sunday carnage investigations because the government had withheld 22 out of 23 volume-report of the Commission of Inquiry that conducted a 16-month probe on terror attacks.

 “Catholics have doubts. Muslims have doubts. There is unrest among people because the government keeps hiding some vital information contained in those 22 volumes of the PCoI report. For example, I gave a factual testimony. The commissioners lauded it as an expert testimony. It is included in one of those volumes. How could people know facts contained in testimonies by various witnesses? In my testimony, I recommended that certain issues be investigated to prevent occurrence of such a calamity again. The government is not doing that. We cannot afford a recurrence of such violence.

“It was I who first warned of the radical Islamic movements having the potential to evolve into a terror outfits. I published a book in 2001and warned of Islamic extremism allied with Wahabism was operating in the country. It is a known fact that we still have such elements within the Muslim community. The majority of Muslims know of this very well and try to distance themselves from those extremists as much as possible.

“Thowheed Jamaath is a very insignificant movement. According to the Janak de Silva report, Zahran left Thowheed Jamaath with a small number of followers. It was they who became the terrorist group that carried out the Easter Sunday carnage. Within Thowheed Jamaath rank and file were paid-informants of security forces. Even Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, speaking to the media at the Rajopanaramaya in Getambe, said that information had been solicited from such informants for money.

Several people including the former Attorney General have said that there was a conspiracy behind the Easter Sunday probe. Two years have elapsed since the attacks. The US has taken to courts the culprits responsible for the attacks found by their law enforcement agencies. We have not yet properly compensated the victims.”