Gammanpila ready to meet Vijitha’s challenge over Easter Sunday reports

Wednesday, 16 October 2024 00:08 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Udaya Gammanpila

Minister Vijitha Herath gives Udaya Gammanpila three days to hand over Easter Sunday committee reports he claims to be in possession
Raises concerns on how Gammanpila obtained the reports and legal implications of withholding such crucial information
Udaya Gammanpila says he will hold a special press conference to address challenge today

Sarvajana Balaya Colombo District candidate Udaya Gammanpila yesterday said he is ready to accept Cabinet Spokesman Minister Vijitha Herath’s challenge to produce two reports that Gammanpila claims to possess, related to the investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks.

Gammanpila announced that he would respond to the challenge at a special press conference today.

The dispute over the reports surfaced earlier this week when Gammanpila, during a press conference, urged the Government to release two unpublished committee reports on the attacks. He warned that if the Government did not release them within a week, he would publish them online. “None of these reports are incomplete, and none have gone missing,” he said.

Gammanpila explained that a portion of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) report into the Easter Sunday attacks had not been presented to Parliament, as recommended by the PCoI. He further noted that the Catholic Church had referred to two additional unpublished reports prepared by committees led by I.M. Imam and A.N.J. de Alwis.

“I am calling on the Government to release these two reports. If they fail to do so, we will make them public ourselves,” Gammanpila warned.

In response, Cabinet Minister Vijitha Herath yesterday gave Gammanpila a three-day deadline to hand over the reports. “If Gammanpila has the reports, we will give him three days to submit them. It would make things easier for us,” Herath said at the weekly cabinet briefing yesterday.

Minister Herath emphasised that the Government is committed to thoroughly examining all reports related to the attacks to ensure their completeness and accuracy. He also raised concerns about how Gammanpila obtained the reports and the legal implications of withholding such crucial information.

“If Gammanpila received these reports, he must submit them without delay. We also need to know how he came into possession of them, as this is a serious matter,” Minister Herath added, warning that withholding these reports could constitute a serious offence.