P’ment should pass laws to give autonomy to SIS: Malalgoda

Wednesday, 21 August 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Presidential Commission member says independence of intelligence agencies should be improved

By Ashwin Hemmathagama

– Our Lobby Correspondent

The members of the tri-party Presidential Commission appointed to investigate the Easter Sunday attacks, testifying before the Parliamentary Select Committee investigating the same, held that security lapses and delayed information-passing between security agencies led to the devastation.

Recommending that Parliament pass laws that will give autonomous status to the State Intelligence Service (SIS), Presidential Commission Chairman Supreme Court Judge Vijith Malalgoda held the SIS should be made an independent body.

“The first intelligence report had been received around April 5. But there had been no proper coordination. When it comes to national security there should be one body above others. There are intelligence operatives in a single Police station belonging to several intelligence bodies. This should be changed. We observed that officers have submitted false records. For example, the warning had been received by Katana Police station. According to their records, 21 policemen had been detailed at the site. But we found it was false and entered only after the attacks,” he said. According to former Inspector General of Police N.K. Illangakoon, there is no proper mechanism to coordinate the intelligence agencies. “We are not against having a number of agencies. But the nature of the intelligence agencies should match the requirements of the country. We proposed that the premier intelligence agency should be converted into a body operating under proper legal provisions. There have been lapses in intelligence coordination,” he said. (AH)