Religious and civil society leaders have called upon Ven. Galagodatte Gnanasara Thera to share whatever information he claims to possess with regard to the Easter Sunday terror attacks and their masterminds.
Addressing the media at the Centre for Society and Religion in Colombo, Lawyer Manoj Nanayakkara said Ven. Gnanasara Thera claimed to have information related to the terror attacks and the masterminds behind them.
“The question is why he does not go to the law enforcement agencies and share the information he claims to possess. There is no purpose in making such statements at press conferences. As a citizen, his duty is to share this information with the investigating authorities. Therefore, we believe that Gnanasara Thera is engaging in a political ploy at the behest of someone else. He should be aware that intentionally withholding information about a brutal massacre and failing to share it with the investigating authorities is an offense punishable under the Penal Code,” Nanayakkara said.
Nanayakkara mentioned that 71 months had passed since the Easter Sunday attacks, yet justice has not been served for the victims.
He called on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to begin implementing the recommendations outlined in the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry that investigated the Easter Sunday terror attacks, without further delay.
“We are approaching the sixth anniversary of this heinous crime, which claimed nearly 275 lives and injured twice as many others. President Dissanayake promised to conduct a fresh investigation into this crime. In the meantime, he could implement the recommendations of the Special Presidential Commission that probed the Easter Sunday terror attacks. This would demonstrate that the current government is keeping its word to deliver justice to the victims,” Nanayakkara said.
Rev. Fr. Julian Patric Perera, Rector of St. Joseph Vaz Deva Dharma Niketanaya, also addressed the press conference.
By Norman Palihawadane