Gammanpila demands Govt. commitment before handing over Easter Sunday reports

Thursday, 17 October 2024 01:37 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

PHU leader and former MP Udaya Gammanpila

Says he will only hand over unpublished reports regarding Easter Sunday terror attack if the Govt. publicly commits to publishing them
Warns he would release both reports himself by 21 Oct. if they were not made public within a week of his submission
Claims there is a conspiracy to arrest him before the reports could be made public

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader and former Member of Parliament Udaya Gammanpila announced yesterday that he will only hand over the two unpublished reports related to the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks if the Government publicly commits to publishing them.

Addressing the media at a special press conference in Colombo, Gammanpila expressed concern over the Government’s intentions, warning that he would release the reports himself by 21 October if they were not made public within a week of his submission.

“Until the President or Government Spokesman Minister Vijith Herath vouch to publish the reports, I am not prepared to hand them over to the Government,” Gammanpila firmly said during the press briefing. He questioned what would happen if the reports were handed over and the Government chose not to publish them, emphasising his distrust in the authorities’ willingness to be transparent.

The former MP also further issued an ultimatum. He said if the Government does not commit within seven days, he will release the confidential reports to the public.

Gammanpila argued that two Presidents had gained political power by exploiting the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks and specifically called out President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who he claims received significant public support by promising to expose the truth about the attacks.

During the press conference, Gammanpila also claimed there was a conspiracy to arrest him before the reports could be made public. He alleged that a high-level Government meeting took place on Tuesday night, where officials allegedly discussed legal mechanisms to arrest him under the State Secrets Act or the Prevention of Terrorism Act. According to Gammanpila, this move aims to suppress his efforts to expose the full details of the Easter Sunday investigations.

“They are plotting to arrest me,” Gammanpila asserted. He added that, as a responsible figure concerned with national security, he will refrain from releasing any sensitive attachments associated with the investigation.

In a press briefing earlier this week, Gammanpila urged the Government to release two unpublished committee reports on the Easter Sunday attacks. He revealed that portions of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) report had not been presented to Parliament and claimed that additional reports had been prepared by committees led by I.M. Imam and A.N.J. de Alwis. The Catholic Church has also echoed concerns over the missing reports, demanding full transparency. He threatened to release the reports to the public if the Government failed to publish them.

In response, on Tuesday Cabinet Spokesman Minister Vijitha Herath challenged Gammanpila to hand over the reports within three days. “If Gammanpila has the reports, we will give him three days to submit them. It would make things easier for us,” Herath said during the weekly post-Cabinet media briefing.