Laying conspiracy theories of the Easter Sunday bombings to rest

On 21 April 2019 (Easter Sunday) suicide bombers exploded their deadly cargo of bombs at churches and five star hotels in Colombo. Within hours it became known the bombers were radicalised local Muslim fanatics. It was also a time that anti Muslim feelings were running high in the country. Unsurprisingly the Muslim community feared they would become the target of retaliatory mob attacks.
With emotions high, it was feared a bloodbath could take place. It was at this tense juncture Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith - the head of the local Catholic Church - fearlessly entered the fray. Condemning the attack which took the lives of over 250 innocents, he warned against any form of retaliation against the Muslim community. He claimed they too were victims of a nefarious plot by unknown persons. 
Among victims beside the Lankans who died, were a number of international tourists. Within the day FBI agents, Scotland Yard detectives, agents from the Indian, Pakistani and Chinese intelligence services had boots on the ground in our country. This was not unusual as citizens from those countries were visiting tourists and some among them were among the dead.
In our country three reports on the bombings were produced - the Justice Vijith Malalgoda Report, the Parliamentary Select Committee Report and the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCOI). Another six-member Ministerial Sub Committee headed by Minister Chamal Rajapaksa was appointed in February 2021 that submitted its separate report on March 15th, 2021 to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

None of the reports were made available to the public. However, bits and pieces of the reports were divulged. Cardinal Ranjith claimed the copy of the PCOI report he received was incomplete. In turn this led to widespread speculation of a cover-up and a plethora of other theories.
The Cardinal has also been calling for the full implementation of the recommendations of the PCOI report. Sadly even though over four years have gone since the attacks, the recommendations of the PCOI have not as yet been implemented.

The Presidential Commission of Investigation on the Easter Sunday bombings identified former President Maithripala Sirisena, former Secretary Defence, Inspector General of Police, Director State Intelligence Service and several others guilty of negligence of duties. No charges were brought against then Prime Minister Wickremesinghe.
With the findings of the commissions of inquiry being made available only to parliament, it is unsurprising claims cover-up have grown and snowballed into the wildly speculative ‘documentaries’ like the one produced by Channel-4 .
In a recent interview with ‘Deutche Welle’ in answer charges of a cover-up levelled by the channel based on a statement made by Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and demands for an international investigation, President Wickremesinghe replied saying he was in contact with the Catholic Bishop’s Conference and had provided the College of Bishops with the complete volumes of the PCOI report.
He emphatically ruled out any international investigation. Wickremesinghe added the FBI, Scotland Yard, The Indian ‘RAW’, Pakistan’s ‘ISI’ and the Chinese intelligence arm, had been called in by the Sri Lanka government, as their citizens were victims of the atrocity. These organisations had all investigated into the bombings and submitted reports. 
In turn, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference has admitted the PCOI reports were in fact handed over to them. They have now requested the president provide them with the findings made by the different international intelligence agencies.

This is a very good idea. If the documents are provided, it will once and for all clear all doubts of a cover-up. Most importantly, it will lay to rest the conspiracy theories which are doing the rounds. 
Former president Sirisena and others have been fined by courts for negligence of duty and fines were imposed on them.
Neither Sirisena nor any of the others on whom fines for negligence of duty were imposed, have as yet paid up the fines in full.  
Yet, our jails are filled with ordinary poor folk who have not been able to pay lesser fines for far lesser offences imposed by the courts of law.