Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has warned that a statement made to the UN human rights office by a grieving father of a child killed in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings could harm Sri Lanka.
Speaking in Parliament, Premadasa said the father of Vihanga Tejan, one of the victims of the attack at Colombo’s Shangri-La Hotel, had expressed dissatisfaction to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) over the lack of progress in investigations.
“This is harmful for the country,” Premadasa said, urging the government to act decisively to restore confidence among victims’ families. “You must take steps to reassure the victims and give them the credibility they seek.”
Premadasa also called for the release of internal government documents that led to the dismissal of a no-confidence motion against Deputy Defence Minister Aruna Jayasekara.
Opposition lawmakers brought the motion in August, citing serious concerns over Jayasekara’s alleged involvement and potential conflicts of interest related to the Easter Sunday investigations.
While maintaining that he held “no personal issues concerning Aruna Jayasekara,” Premadasa stressed the need for procedural transparency and public accountability in how the government handled the motion’s rejection.