6 April 2024 12:00 am Views - 149
By Kelum Bandara
Former President Maithripala Sirisena who is at the centre of controversy over his latest remarks that he is aware of the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday carnage will be forced to place all his cards on the table when Parliament takes up a fresh debate on the matter during the next sitting week.
Parliament will take up a three-day debate when it meets for the first time after New Year on April 24, as agreed upon at the party leaders’ meeting conducted yesterday.
The main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) asked for the debate on the basis that the country serves to know the discourse of Mr. Sirisena who was the Head of State when the terrorist attack took place in 2019.
Recently, Mr. Sirisena stirred fresh controversy when he said that he knew who was behind the attack. Afterwards, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) interrogated him for hours. He was also asked to appear before court and make a statement, but he declined to do so.
However, he will now be prevailed upon to divulge what he knows in this regard. There are media reports that he implicated the name of a neighbouring country in his statement to the CID.
The parties will ask him to divulge all details on the basis that the country owes an explanation. Parliament has had debates related to the incident on and off.