• It is our responsibility to punish perpetrators
• Cardinal’s agony is justifiable

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa counters with solid facts, falsehoods over the Report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Easter Sunday attacks, that was submitted to him on the 1st of February, being propagated by certain groups seeking undue political advantage. 

The president points out that his government was not in power when the attacks took place and the Report has concluded that the root cause behind this tragedy was the inefficiency on the part of the Yahapalana government.   
“We do not want to hide the Report. The people did not even get a glance of the reports of some Presidential Commissions appointed in the past. We released the current Report within a month. The government cannot exercise capital punishment to the guilty. The punishments are determined by the judiciary. Our government will take the responsibility of punishing the perpetrators. We will leave no room for separatist terrorism or Islamic extremism under our government.” President adds.  

The President expressed these views during the 13th “Discussion with the Village” programme held at the Manduragama in the Weragala Grama Niladhari Division, Giribawa Divisional Secretariat in the Kurunegala District yesterday. (06).  

“ I saw some politicians seeking to gain undue political advantage from this, making us scapegoats. But the fact remains that attacks took place on the 21st of April 2019. At that time we were not in power, I was not the President and we did not have a government.  

The final Report was submitted to me on the 1st of February this year.