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Saturday, 27 April 2019 01:41 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
To take effective steps against terror attacks, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said Sri Lanka had to broaden its legal system, while expressing his regrets over the Easter Sunday attacks and accepting collective responsibility with the Government.
Issuing a special statement, Wickremesinghe said that he was proud of the fact that despite the severity of the attacks, people had not given into hate and maintained the peace in the country. He also called on the public to continue their efforts to keep the peace while being vigilant and cooperating with security operations.
“While I reiterate the fact that I did not receive this critical information prior to the attack, I do not run away from my responsibility. As Prime Minister, I share in the collective responsibility for this. I express my sincere regret to the people of our country for the Government’s lapse,” he said.
“But it is not enough to simply apologise. We have to make sure these mistakes are never repeated in the future. We must take measures to prevent such systemic failures, and commit ourselves to safeguard all human life.”
Wickremesinghe pointed out that many countries around the world including Sri Lanka’s neighbours India, Pakistan and Bangladesh had experienced global terror and reacted by strengthening their legal and governance systems to protect their citizens.
“Countries that faced such attacks made changes to their internal legal systems. They introduced new laws to combat global terrorism. But countries that did not experience such situations did not focus their attention on such measures.
“Sri Lanka has a very narrow definition of aiding terrorism. Therefore, we find that our existing laws are insufficient to deal with the extraordinary situation we are faced with. If we are to efficiently combat global terrorism, we have to broaden the scope of this old definition to allow us to arrest those aiding terrorism and confiscate their property. We also have to enact laws that deal severely with academic institutions that impart extremist religious views,” he added.
A number of clauses that deal with global terrorism were introduced into the draft Counter Terrorism Act, he said, and the Government had planned to add more such clauses at the amendment stage in Parliament. But these new laws have not been passed by Parliament yet.
“That is not enough. We need a program to rehabilitate those who don’t directly support terrorist acts, but harbour views bordering on extremism. We have seen instances in England where terrorist acts were carried out without a single weapon, by only using vehicles.
“That is why we need such countries to share their experience with us. This is a tough challenge. But I promise you that we will eliminate this enemy with the help of every peace-loving Sri Lankan, and all the nations of the world. Leaders of many countries have already pledged us their fullest support.”
Wickremesinghe said that the group identified as being responsible commenced their operations by defacing Buddhist statues in Mawanella. Subsequently they shot at the Secretary of a Government Minister, accusing him of providing intelligence about them. Now they have targeted the Christians, he said.
“It is only a small group that launched this terrorist attack. The majority of them have been arrested along with explosives. A few more remain on the run and we have to apprehend them. Until then, they remain a threat and the danger is not completely over. Therefore, all of us have to be watchful and vigilant. Let’s help the Police and tri-forces secure the safety of every Sri Lankan.
“I commend our defence forces for swiftly cracking down and apprehending many suspects within a short period of time. Investigations are progressing at a satisfactory pace. Within the limitations of the information that I can divulge, it is clear that this attack has been diligently planned in great detail over a long period of time. A daring operation of this magnitude could not have been pulled off without the knowledge and support of international elements. We have received information that some of the suspects are currently in foreign countries. In such a situation, we need foreign assistance and expertise.”
The Prime Minister said that the Government had provided support to the military and taken many steps to strengthen the security forces since it came to power and the intelligence wing was equipped with advanced expertise and provided all the facilities they needed. There were periodic intelligence reports pertaining to the local groups and individuals connected to this attack, he said.
“We may speak different languages, follow different faiths, and belong to different ethnicities. But we are all children of Sri Lanka Maatha. Let us stand together in her service at this hour of national peril. Spread maithri, karuna, muditha and upeksha among all.”
“We are a resilient people. We have been here before and we have got through. Let’s give each other a helping hand to rise from the rubble and get Sri Lanka back on track. Let’s face these tough times together and secure a safe future for our children and country.”
