PM visits attacked Zion Church in Batticaloa, vows to eradicate ISIS terrorism from Sri Lanka

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said steps will be taken to eradicate ISIS terrorism from Sri Lanka with the support from many foreign organisations and urged the public to support the Tri-Forces by giving information on the perpetrators and supporters of this terrorism.

The Premier yesterday visited the Zion Church in Batticaloa – one of the churches attacked on Easter Sunday – to inquire into the present situation and reconstruction of the church.

The Prime Minister, meeting with the church officials and priests, inspected the damages caused to the church by the attack. He had a lengthy discussion with the priests on the reconstruction of the church.

The Premier also paid compensation to the family members of those who died or were injured during the attacks. A compensation of Rs. 1 million was paid to the family members of those who died during the attacks and compensation to a maximum of Rs. 500,000 was paid to the injured persons.

The Prime Minister also talked to the large number of people who gathered near the church during the visit.

Speaking to media afterwards, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said every possible measure will be taken to eradicate ISIS terrorism from Sri Lanka.

He emphasised that all Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim and Catholic communities need to work in unity at this critical moment to successfully confront the challenges before the country.

“Many suspects have been arrested in connection to the Easter Sunday attacks. Foreign organisations too have extended their support to the investigations. We utilise modern tools and methodologies for the investigations. These attacks were carried out by few extremists. The nation should defeat them in unison,” he said.

Ministers Ranjith Madduma Bandara and John Amaratunga, State Minister Eran Wickramaratne, MP Kavinda Jayawardena, Father Prince of Sri Lanka Christian Association Rev. Roshan Maheshan, Chief Priest of the Batticaloa Zion Church, government officials and members of clergy also participated in the occasion.