“No international inquiry”: President Ranil lashes out when asked about Easter attack allegations
October 3, 2023 10:59 am
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, during an interview with an international broadcaster based in Germany, slammed the allegations levelled in the documentary aired by British television network Channel 4 with regard to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
Wickremesinghe stressed that the Sri Lankan government would not carry out an international inquiry on any issue, including the Easter Sunday terror attacks.
On September 06, Channel 4 aired a controversial documentary containing startling accusations relating to the bombings on Easter Sunday 2019 which targeted several Catholic churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka. The carnage claimed the lives of more than 260 people and left hundreds of others wounded.
Channel 4’s latest ‘Dispatches’ investigation titled ‘Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings’ is a nearly 50-minute-long video with serious, yet straightforward allegations about the attacks. It was based on the testimonies of high-placed whistleblowers who alleged that senior governmental officials were complicit in this heinous act.
Speaking to Martin Gak from the German state-owned international broadcaster Deutsche Welle during his Berlin visit, the Sri Lankan leader said a few people may have asked for an international probe, but the parliament has not. Further, referring to an FBI report, Wickremesinghe said “No one outside was involved [in the attack].”
Clearly peeved when inquired about Channel 4’s allegations in its documentary, Wickremesinghe accused the host of putting the British television network on a pedestal and treating its report as “the gospel truth”.
Wickremesinghe said he has appointed a committee comprising a judge, a well-known former air force commander and a renowned lawyer to look into these accusations.
When the host cast doubt about this committee having teeth enough to do anything and inquired about the Sri Lankan Catholic Church seeking for an independent investigation into the carnage, the Sri Lankan president lashed out at him saying, “You have no right to ask me this question.”
Interrupting the questions multiple times and losing his cool, Wickremesinghe went on to accuse the host of trying “to corner” him and denigrating the incumbent government for “not doing anything”.
