The deadly Easter Sunday 2019 terrorist attack in Sri Lanka needs to not be exploited by a politician, says the Archdiocese of Colombo. Source: Crux.
Speaking to the media on October 17, archdiocesan spokesman Fr Cyril Gamini Fernando said the government investigation of the attack that killed more than 200 people needs to continue without interference, after Pivithuru Hela Urumaya party leader Udaya Gammanpila threatened to publicise two committee reports on the tragedy.
On April 21, 2019, three churches and three luxury hotels were bombed in a series of coordinated attacks that left hundreds dead.
ISIS spokespersons would later claim responsibility for the bombings, saying the targets had been Christians and citizens of countries involved in the anti-ISIS coalition.
Though the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks, it soon emerged that Sri Lankan intelligence services had been alerted that an attack was in the works.
Fr Fernando demanded Mr Gammanpila refrain from exploiting the 2019 Easter Sunday tragedy for political gain.
The Church’s response came after Mr Gammanpila claimed he has access to two unpublished reports related to the attacks and threatened to release them publicly if the current Government fails to do so by this week.
The controversy escalated when Cabinet Minister Vijitha Herath responded by giving Mr Gammanpila a three-day deadline to submit the reports to the government, questioning how he came into possession of such sensitive documents.
Mr Gammanpila responded by refusing to hand over the reports unless the government provided an assurance it would publish them.
Fr Fernando said the Church had never asked the then-president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, to appoint committees to probe Easter Sunday issues, and the Church was not interested at all in the reports sought by Mr Gammanpila.
“We earnestly urge the PHU leader not to cause unnecessary trouble but to allow the Criminal Investigations Department to conduct inquiries,” Fr Fernando said.
“The Easter Sunday investigation had been undermined by relentless political interference,” Fr Fernando said, questioning whether Mr Gammanpila took up this issue seeking political advantage in the run-up to the forthcoming parliamentary election on November 14.
FULL STORY
Sri Lanka Church asks politicians to not politicize 2019 Easter terrorist attacks (By Nirmala Carvalho, Crux)
