The Sri Lankan government has announced the formation of a parliamentary committee to investigate allegations raised in a British television report suggesting complicity of Sri Lankan intelligence officials in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which claimed the lives of 269 individuals, including 42 foreigners from 14 different countries.
The attacks, involving coordinated suicide bombings, targeted three churches—two Catholic and one Protestant—as well as three tourist hotels during Easter celebrations.
Pramitha Tennakoon, the junior defense minister, informed Parliament on Wednesday that the Cabinet had decided to establish a committee to delve into the allegations outlined in the British Channel 4 report. He stated that the committee’s role would extend to facilitating the testimony of witnesses, even those residing abroad.
The Channel 4 report featured an individual who claimed to have arranged a meeting between a local Islamic State-inspired group called National Thowheed Jamath and a high-ranking state intelligence official. The alleged purpose of the meeting was to devise a plot aimed at creating instability in Sri Lanka and ensuring the victory of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the subsequent presidential election.
Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa has called for an international investigation into the bombing attack, citing the widespread perception that a thorough local inquiry has not been conducted. Premadasa emphasized the importance of delivering justice to the victims and the necessity of a transparent international investigation to uncover the truth behind the attack.
The individual featured in the Channel 4 program, Azad Maulana, was a spokesperson for a breakaway faction of the Tamil Tiger rebels, which later evolved into a pro-government militia that played a role in the government’s victory in the long civil war in 2009.
Maulana claimed that he had organized a meeting in 2018 between IS-inspired extremists and a senior intelligence officer at the request of his then-boss, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, the leader of the rebel splinter group turned political party.
The Easter Sunday attacks in 2019, carried out by a group of Sri Lankans inspired by the Islamic State group, involved six nearly simultaneous suicide bombings that claimed 269 lives, including worshippers attending Easter Sunday services, as well as local and foreign tourists. These attacks revived memories of frequent bombings during the country’s 25-year civil war.
Fears surrounding national security propelled Gotabaya Rajapaksa to power, although he was later compelled to resign in mid-2022 following widespread protests over the country’s severe economic crisis.
Maulana stated that Chandrakanthan had encountered the brother of the extremist group’s leader while in prison, where the politician was detained on murder charges. Chandrakanthan found them potentially useful for instigating insecurity in the country, according to Maulana.
Channel 4 reported that Maulana’s claims had been scrutinized by United Nations investigators and European intelligence services. However, Rajapaksa has yet to comment on these allegations, and calls to Chandrakanthan remained unanswered.
A lawmaker supportive of Rajapaksa, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, rejected the accusations presented in the documentary, arguing that Rajapaksa had no reason to resort to bombings or suicide bombers for electoral gains, as he enjoyed significant public support, evident from the results of local elections held in 2018.
Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith expressed concerns about the lack of action on previous parliamentary and presidential commissions appointed to investigate the attacks. He called for the return of the original investigators who had been reassigned during the government of Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Ranjith also stressed that those currently involved in the investigation and individuals mentioned by Channel 4 should not have any role in the probe. He emphasized the need for a transparent and sincere investigation to ensure justice for the innocent victims of the 2019 Easter attacks.
Source: With Agencies