12 September 2023 12:00 am Views - 2941
Families of Easter Attack victims demand an international investigation
The 47-minute footage includes testimonies from senior whistleblowers who claim that the investigations were sabotaged by the state apparatus at the time
The protagonist of the Channel 4 video Moulana alleges how state military intelligence officials arranged meetings with the suicide bombers in their attempt to create an ‘unsafe’ situation and bring Gotabaya to power
In a three page letter, former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa dismisses all claims vested against him
What is coincidental is that this documentary is released ahead of UNHRC’s 54th Sessions
Allegations are also being made against the infamous Tripoli Platoon
Four years later…
Four years ago, when the Daily Mirror visited the families of victims of the Katuwapitiya bombing, many children and adults were still in shock. While some were receiving treatment and were on a slow road to recovery, others were bedridden for life. Fifteen-year old Sneha Mindani Milroy is one of the survivors of the attack. She had been unconscious when her family members recovered her lifeless body. Sneha survived a brutal injury to her head where the surgery was done in two stages; one to remove shrapnel and the other by grafting tissues. However, a year later, the family realised that the nuts used to bind the scalp together have not been properly fixated. One may perhaps think that she has a big pimple growing on her forehead, but to be quite frank, it is a nut that is protruding as a result of a badly done surgery.
The Daily Mirror recently visited several houses of Katuwapitiya victims only to realise that many of them have been relocated at the ‘St. Sebastian Niwasipura’. A foundation stone at the entrance to the housing scheme extends gratitude to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and includes names of several others who have initiated the project. The Daily Mirror learned that the houses were given to families of victims who initially lived in rented houses. The houses have been constructed with basic amenities and one may perhaps wonder whether it is a half-hearted attempt to pacify the families of victims who were crying for justice.
“We voted for Gotabaya Rajapaksa”-Kalyani
As the final bomb exploded on April 21, 2019, people’s hopes on the then government faded almost instantly. But people breathed a sigh of relief when former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced that he would contest for the presidency; a week after the Easter Sunday carnage. “Api Gotabaya mahaththayata thamaichande dunne (We voted for Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa),” said Kalyani Appuhamy, Sneha’s mother, in response to a query on whom they casted their vote following the attacks. “That was quite obvious because we lost our trust placed on the Sirisena government. They were trying to cover up the truth and as the families of victims all that we wanted was justice,” she said.
When asked about the Channel 4 revelations Appuhamy said that it is indeed shocking. “If the claims on the Channel 4 video are proven then it is certain that we have been blindfolded. But we still don’t know if those claims are true. What we do know is that we lost our peace of mind following the attacks. My son and daughter still experience mild bouts of trauma. Who is responsible for the trauma that we are experiencing? Whom can we hold accountable? Whoever is responsible deserves the most brutal punishment under the sun,” Appuhamy underscored.
In another turn of events many families of the Roman Catholic faith who lost their loved ones to the Easter Sunday carnage have given up on their faith. “Some families are reluctant to light a candle anymore,” said Appuhamy. “There’s one individual who lost seven of his family members. He gave up on the religion following the attacks,” she added.
“We demand an international inquiry” – Verl
Arasaratnam Verl from Batticaloa has been mourning ever since he lost his son Jackson (13) and sister Verlini (36) during the bomb that exploded at Zion Church. Little Elisa and Rebecca were brutally burned following the blast. Responding to the Channel 4 video Verl said that Pillayan is already accused of the Joseph Pararajasingham assassination. “He had changed judges using his political power and got himself bailed out. But if the allegations in the video are proven, he should be punished. Only those who lost their loved ones know the pain. We demand an independent, international inquiry on the allegations and the attacks. The government can’t just wipe off their hands by conducting an inquiry. Those who lost their loved ones and were injured from the blasts should be given maximum compensation. Right now, all these confined to mere promises,” said Verl.
When asked if families from Batticaloa also voted for Gotabaya Rajapaksa following his national security campaign, Verl responded in the negative. “Rajapaksa scored only around 39,000 votes from the Eastern province. The majority voted for Sajith Premadasa,” he said.
Fingers pointed
The protagonist of the Channel 4 video, Hansir Azad Moulana, former media spokesperson of Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, who later sought political asylum in 2022 following alleged threats to his life and family, alleges how state military intelligence officials arranged meetings with the suicide bombers as they wanted to create an ‘unsafe’ situation in Sri Lanka to bring to power Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was later ousted when serving as President. The 47-minute footage includes testimonies from senior whistleblowers who claim that the investigations were sabotaged by the state apparatus at the time. But the video still generates several doubts. Questions such as why were churches and hotels targeted, why Easter Sunday, why were Islamic terrorists used for this purpose, who funded the attacks and so on, remain unanswered.
What Sri Lankans do know is that a week after the attacks, Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced that he would contest for the Presidency and scored votes on the national security campaign. The video also concentrates heavily on the murder of veteran journalist and former editor of the Sunday Leader Lasantha Wickrematunge. Allegations are being made against the infamous Tripoli Platoon and Moulana makes special references to alleged orders given by the then Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to kill Wickrematunge.
What is coincidental is that this documentary is released ahead of the 54th UNHRC Sessions which commenced yesterday (September 11) and will continue till October 13. Many local politicians therefore claim that the British TV station is making baseless allegations to frame the Rajapaksa family using another controversial incident. In June 2011, Channel 4 released another documentary titled ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’ which was released a few days prior to the conclusion of the UNHRC sessions.
Allegations dismissed
But no sooner the video was released on September 5, MP Namal Rajapaksa was quick to disregard allegations as he claimed that the British TV Channel had a historical rivalry with his family. He also questioned why the video had been taken down if the claims had any truth. However, the video is still available online. Many politicians expressed mixed reactions regarding the video, but many have disregarded it as a baseless list of accusations.
In a three page letter, former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa dismisses all claims vested against him while referring to past incidents which successive governments failed to probe on. Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that if incidents pertaining to the vandalising of Buddha statues in December 2018 and incidents in Vavunativu and Wanathawilluwa were properly investigated, the then government would have received more information regarding the terrorists. He explains how he sought assistance from the FBI to investigate into the Easter Sunday carnage and the letter also includes a response from the US Department of State written to Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the US Mahinda Samarasinghe. However it is surprising to note that the former President has either forgotten or had ignored claims on his alleged connection to the assassination of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge.
On Sunday, the President’s media division announced that a committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge will be appointed to probe the allegations. Following the attacks, a Parliamentary Select Committee and a Presidential Commission of Inquiry were appointed to probe the incidents. This raises doubts on whether the government would pay attention to the demands of the families of victims to launch an international investigation.