Former President Ranil Wickramasinghe has requested all parties not to politicize the Easter reports, which have caused significant controversy. He stated that he received this report during the last presidential election but refrained from making it public due to his reluctance to connect the Easter attack to politics.
Below is the complete announcement issued by former President Ranil Wickramasinghe:
“After I became the eighth Executive President of Sri Lanka, I handed over the Easter Commission reports to the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Harold Anthony Fernando, at his request.
After that, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference presented several clarifications, and the Attorney General was instructed to forward all clarifications directed to me to the Attorney General and exchange all related matters with the Bishops’ Conference.
Requests were also made to me to look into the revelations aired on Channel 4. I appointed a three-member committee comprising retired Supreme Court Judge S.I. Imam, former Air Force Commander Chief Air Marshal Jayalath Veerakkodi, and former Supreme Court Justice Harsha Xhosa.
Additionally, A.M.J. De Alvis, W.M.A.N. Nishan, and K.N.K. Somaratne were appointed to another three-member committee. None of the people appointed to these committees are individuals I know personally. Arrangements were also made to provide support to these committees from the Attorney General’s Department.
One of the objectives of appointing the above committees was to investigate the steps to be taken when the Indian Intelligence Service received information about any kind of terrorist attack. Another responsibility assigned to this committee was to inquire whether the measures taken in relation to it were sufficient. The State Intelligence Division and the Criminal Investigation Department stated that the killing of the two police officers in Vavunativu was by the LTTE. Why was it announced for four months that it was organized? This committee also inquired about the steps taken in that regard during that time.
The Alwis Committee Report is not intended to take revenge on the then Senior DIG and current Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security, Ravi Seneviratne, or former Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, Shani Abeysekera.
The report further recommended that all officers, including former Inspector General of Police Pujitha Jayasundara, Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Nilantha Jayawardena, Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Nandana Munasinghe, Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Lalith Patinayake, Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Abdul Latif, and Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Ravi Seneviratne, should face legal action regarding the Easter incident. In addition, the report has recommended that former Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police and current Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Thennakoon also face disciplinary action. Therefore, it is very clear that the interpretation that this is a fabricated report against Ravi Seneviratne and Shani Abeysekera is baseless.
The observations related to the killing of the two police officers in the Vavunativu area mentioned in the report are also very important. In relation to that incident, the LTTE was first informed that day. The organization carried out the killings. As a result, Thambirasa Kumar and Rasanayagam Sarvanandan were arrested.
When the annexes of the report are examined, many contradictory facts are revealed. In one of the reports of the intelligence agencies, it is mentioned that Sivaneshthurai Chandrakanth alias Pillayan, who was in jail at that time, was behind this incident. Another related intelligence report also stated that the husband of a woman who allegedly had an affair with the police officer Ganesh, who died in Vavunativu, was killed.
The Director of Military Intelligence (DMI) has stated that the reason why it took four months for the intelligence agencies to trace the activities of the National Tauhid Jamaat (NTJ) was because the national intelligence agencies did not have a formal network for obtaining information.
“Regarding the gap of four months until the discovery of the NTJ, the DMI’s explanation was that it was attributable to the lack of network they had at the time to elicit the intelligence.”
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF INQUIRY INTO INTELLIGENCE COORDINATION AND INVESTIGATIVE PROCESSES RELATED TO THE EASTER SUNDAY BOMBINGS OF 21ST APRIL 2019 (Page No 12)
Although the Indian intelligence, which was a foreign intelligence service, had a strong information network in this area, a severe collapse can be seen in the operation of Sri Lankan intelligence in the same area. It is a terrible situation that we do not have a strong intelligence network because it poses a big threat to the security of the country. My attention was drawn to this matter.
My aim was to obtain the response of the Bishops’ Conference and appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee to investigate the collapse of the intelligence services and the Easter attack along with the report of the Legislature. Because the collapse of the National Intelligence Service in this way is also a great threat to the country’s national security.
I also intended to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee and then submit its report through a three-man committee of senior officers and experts to propose a complete reorganization of the intelligence agencies. I would also like to recall that the Easter Commission report made no mention of the severe collapse of the National Intelligence Service.
This report, which has caused a lot of controversy, came into my hands during the last presidential election, but due to my reluctance to connect the Easter attack to politics, I did not make those reports public. I also mention that I followed the above practice as there was a need to call for a report in this regard.
All the statements made by the Cardinal regarding me are baseless. The Bishops’ Conference should make an official statement regarding the Easter reports.
Taking all the above into consideration, I request all parties not to politicize the Easter reports.”
Ranil Wickramasinghe
Eighth Executive President
